Colorado WRX 2022

[pseudoswede]

Finally able to get out to an FRGC event at Red Hawk Ridge today. Of course, so much family stuff going on that I didn't show up to the course until 25 minutes before my tee time--and then I found out I had a match play match, too. Hit two range balls and putted for about 5 minutes.

 

I'm still having trouble making solid contact with the ball. Oddly enough, my putting actually kept me in my match--along with my trusty lob wedge. It also helps that my opponent, a 7-cap, shanked/topped six of his drives today (compared to my three :D). Anyways, I gutted out a 3&1 win today.

[Joelness]

16 hours ago, RobotDoctor said:

One thing is for certain, the pressure of a tournament will definitely reveal flaws in a golf swing.  If a swing is not repeating and a few bad swings and results happen then that swing will resemble a  “cheap broken down lawn chair”.   That’s what happened to my game and result this weekend.  While it seemed liked I was playing well as of late, my game was a menagerie of the true state of my game.  I haven’t scored this bad in any round in years,

maybe a couple decades or more.  At present, I simply suck at golf.  Time to regroup, tear down and relearn what a good repeating golf swing is supposed to be.  At least for me.  That being said, good luck to @joelness at the Collindale Invitational!

 

Yep! Welcome to tournament golf. This is an entirely normal, human thing. Any time I have a friend talk about playing tournaments I always tell them to "just get out there." There is no replacement for putting yourself under that pressure and trying to play your best game.

 

Don't worry, your game isn't broken. Get out there and play again soon, I bet you play OK.

[RobotDoctor]

17 minutes ago, Joelness said:

 

Yep! Welcome to tournament golf. This is an entirely normal, human thing. Any time I have a friend talk about playing tournaments I always tell them to "just get out there." There is no replacement for putting yourself under that pressure and trying to play your best game.

 

Don't worry, your game isn't broken. Get out there and play again soon, I bet you play OK.

Thanks!  Not sure whether I play ok or not but getting back on the horse is what I definitely need.  Maybe in a day or two I'll go back out on the range and start building my confidence back.  Nice playing this weekend! 

[CDM]

1 hour ago, Joelness said:

 

Yep! Welcome to tournament golf. This is an entirely normal, human thing. Any time I have a friend talk about playing tournaments I always tell them to "just get out there." There is no replacement for putting yourself under that pressure and trying to play your best game.

 

Don't worry, your game isn't broken. Get out there and play again soon, I bet you play OK.

Looks like you played well Joel, congrats.   

 

I saw the Senior gross winner shot 79 then backed it up with a 68...?   Pretty "impressive" two day flip  😃 

 

EDIT:  I just saw that Will won the 2nd flight. I know he plays out of Collindale as I have meet him before from friends up there.  Gratz to him.  

 

Edited June 6, 2022 by CDM

[Joelness]

38 minutes ago, RobotDoctor said:

Thanks!  Not sure whether I play ok or not but getting back on the horse is what I definitely need.  Maybe in a day or two I'll go back out on the range and start building my confidence back.  Nice playing this weekend! 

 

3 minutes ago, CDM said:

Looks like you played well Joel, congrats.   

 

I saw the Senior gross winner shot 79 then backed it up with a 68...?   Pretty "impressive" two day flip  😃 

 

Thanks guys. Not great for me but I made some money so it wasn't bad either. Did you see the two doubles and a triple on Saturday?!?!

 

The triple was brutal. I hit a drive left on 8 and had to hit a 75 yarder over a spruce from an into the grain rough lie with the ball sitting on top. I didn't give it any extra juice and it flew straight into the spruce and stuck there about 20 feet off the ground. 🤦‍♂️

[CDM]

25 minutes ago, Joelness said:

 

 

Thanks guys. Not great for me but I made some money so it wasn't bad either. Did you see the two doubles and a triple on Saturday?!?!

 

The triple was brutal. I hit a drive left on 8 and had to hit a 75 yarder over a spruce from an into the grain rough lie with the ball sitting on top. I didn't give it any extra juice and it flew straight into the spruce and stuck there about 20 feet off the ground. 🤦‍♂️

 

You played well Sunday compared to the rest of the field.   Looked like only 4 or 5 guys played much better on Sunday.  What 4 off it (?) and given Saturday, you were in it. 

 

Edit:  Did all groups play the black tees?

Edited June 6, 2022 by CDM

[Joelness]

1 hour ago, CDM said:

 

You played well Sunday compared to the rest of the field.   Looked like only 4 or 5 guys played much better on Sunday.  What 4 off it (?) and given Saturday, you were in it. 

 

Edit:  Did all groups play the black tees?

 

Yeah it wasn't bad. Tbh, that was just about the worst score I could have shot with how I played. All my solid birdie looks inside 15' were super-quick downhill sliders and I lipped them all out.

 

Only the champ flight played the black tees. I think the first flight played the blues and everyone else played the whites?

[CDM]

Just now, Joelness said:

 

Yeah it wasn't bad. Tbh, that was just about the worst score I could have shot with how I played. All my solid birdie looks inside 15' were super-quick downhill sliders and I lipped them all out.

 

Only the champ flight played the black tees. I think the first flight played the blues and everyone else played the whites?

 

Well played either way sir.

 

Reason I was wondering on the tee's played is Will for example.  Meet him before pretty sure he is a 8 - 9 Hdcp yet his net score was reflecting 11-12 strokes?  I don't recall CD having that hard of course/slope rating.  The Black tees though I think are near 74, so maybe so. 

 

What do I know, I am just starting to play again and PD I shoot 13 over and list me as as  8.1 hdcp thanks to its course/slope rating  🤣

[RobotDoctor]

2 hours ago, Joelness said:

 

Yeah it wasn't bad. Tbh, that was just about the worst score I could have shot with how I played. All my solid birdie looks inside 15' were super-quick downhill sliders and I lipped them all out.

 

Only the champ flight played the black tees. I think the first flight played the blues and everyone else played the whites?

The Senior Gross played from the Blues as well.  Shot accuracy was a must to avoid the slick down hill breaking putts. 

 

My only birdie yesterday came on hole 14 (190 yard par 3).  I chipped in from about 25-30 feet below the hole just off the right fringe.  I tried to muscle a 6 iron to the pin and the ball ballooned up a bit with a breeze into my face.

[Joelness]

On 6/6/2022 at 11:16 AM, CDM said:

 

Well played either way sir.

 

Reason I was wondering on the tee's played is Will for example.  Meet him before pretty sure he is a 8 - 9 Hdcp yet his net score was reflecting 11-12 strokes?  I don't recall CD having that hard of course/slope rating.  The Black tees though I think are near 74, so maybe so. 

 

What do I know, I am just starting to play again and PD I shoot 13 over and list me as as  8.1 hdcp thanks to its course/slope rating  🤣

 

Thanks. Collindale is HARD and might be the hardest course in northern colorado sans Highland Hills in Greeley. Both of them are super narrow tree-lined courses but Highland Hills' greens are crazier than Collindale, so might be harder.

 

I'm curious about opinions on this.

[pseudoswede]

Narrow and tree-lined? I'm out. 😄

[RobotDoctor]

I've never played Highland Hills in Greeley.  I have always played Boomerang Golf Course instead but haven't played in Greeley in many years.  I personally LOVE Collindale Golf Course because it is a challenge regarding accuracy and putting.  I used to play golf at Saddleback Golf Course in Firestone and Ute Creek Golf Course in Longmont which neither placed a premium on accuracy.  When I moved back to Fort Collins I made Collindale Golf Course my home course.  At first playing Collindale in 2012 was a real challenge because I wasn't accurate but learned to drive the ball fairly precise.  Now I have much less fear of a tight driving hole.  My next home course in Palm Coast, FL is supposed to be a bit tight as well so the transition should be smoother for me.

 

https://www.palmcoastgov.com/parks/palm-harbor-golf-club

[ztull]

Staying at a hotel that can book The Snowmass Club for me next week but only in the afternoon, which is not ideal for a family vacation.

 

Folks who have played it, is the course worth pressing the issue with my wife?

 

You can trash Engh in the comments, but that’s not going to sway my decision unless he’s done something particularly egregious with this track. 

[Dancin]

7 hours ago, ztull said:

Staying at a hotel that can book The Snowmass Club for me next week but only in the afternoon, which is not ideal for a family vacation.

 

Folks who have played it, is the course worth pressing the issue with my wife?

 

You can trash Engh in the comments, but that’s not going to sway my decision unless he’s done something particularly egregious with this track. 

No, especially this early in the year. Conditions will likely still be suspect. The fairways were long and a little patchy and the greens were a little slow when I played it on June 14 last year. I enjoyed it, but there's nothing there you haven't seen before if you have played other Engh courses. Frankly I was surprised people payed money to be members at it given the conditions. I would not play it again unless I happened to be in the area and knew conditions were better (likely August or later given how most mountain courses work).

[ztull]

8 hours ago, Dancin said:

No, especially this early in the year. Conditions will likely still be suspect. The fairways were long and a little patchy and the greens were a little slow when I played it on June 14 last year. I enjoyed it, but there's nothing there you haven't seen before if you have played other Engh courses. Frankly I was surprised people payed money to be members at it given the conditions. I would not play it again unless I happened to be in the area and knew conditions were better (likely August or later given how most mountain courses work).

Thank you for this!!

[Dancin]

25 minutes ago, ztull said:

Thank you for this!!

If you really want to play one morning, Lakota Links is an interesting Engh layout, but conditions will also likely be suspect there this time of year

[007iron]

Lakota is too far from Snwomass to make it worthwhile likely. Best options within 45 minutes from Snowmass/Aspen:

 

Aspen Muni

River Valley Ranch

Snowmass Club

Ironbridge

 

Of if you have access to the private scene: Maroon Creek, Roaring Fork Club or Aspen Glen

 

The Aspen muni is solid and as a single you can likely roll up early and get out with a 3-some

[ztull]

2 hours ago, 007iron said:

Lakota is too far from Snwomass to make it worthwhile likely. Best options within 45 minutes from Snowmass/Aspen:

 

Aspen Muni

River Valley Ranch

Snowmass Club

Ironbridge

 

Of if you have access to the private scene: Maroon Creek, Roaring Fork Club or Aspen Glen

 

The Aspen muni is solid and as a single you can likely roll up early and get out with a 3-some

Thanks for this. Any more insight on the private side? I have a tee time at Aspen Glen next week (unaccompanied $194 with cart), but going up next month with a friend who wants to play Maroon Creek or RFC in July and specifically wondering if unaccompanied guests rounds are caddie mandatory or require a player host.

 

I hate asking asking my pro to call and then canceling because the round is going to cost like $800.

[007iron]

I live an hour down valley and have never played Maroon Creek.

 

 

RFC will be more than Aspen Glen - prob 250-300 unaccompanied would be my guess. Shouldn't need to take a caddie based on what I've seen. Aspen Glen is more wide open with some great mountain and river views. RFC is a tighter and less memorable IMO (but still nice both conditions and setting) but so much closer to Apsen/Snowmass.

[ztull]

54 minutes ago, 007iron said:

I live an hour down valley and have never played Maroon Creek.

 

 

RFC will be more than Aspen Glen - prob 250-300 unaccompanied would be my guess. Shouldn't need to take a caddie based on what I've seen. Aspen Glen is more wide open with some great mountain and river views. RFC is a tighter and less memorable IMO (but still nice both conditions and setting) but so much closer to Apsen/Snowmass.

I was blown away when I played RFC, it's my favorite mountain course and my favorite Nicklaus course. This was in a tournament (the PAT, believe it or not) now I'm REALLY looking forward Aspen Glen.

[deadsolid...shank]

On 6/8/2022 at 11:32 AM, Joelness said:

 

Thanks. Collindale is HARD and might be the hardest course in northern colorado sans Highland Hills in Greeley. Both of them are super narrow tree-lined courses but Highland Hills' greens are crazier than Collindale, so might be harder.

 

I'm curious about opinions on this.

I’ve only played Collindale a few times. I don’t know that I would say it is “easier”, but I did feel it had a little more room off the tee. And the doglegs weren’t near as severe. And yes, when HH gets the greens running, they are just brutal. 

 

Are you playing the HH invitational this weekend Joel?  I heard someone come into the shop on Wednesday to sign up, and it was already full. 
 

But conditions are really bad right now, there are going be some seriously disgruntled people this weekend. 

[bobbyclampett!!]

I shot 83-79 at Collindale Invite. Three triples over two days killed me. I was a little nervy for first tournament of the year on first nine. Also don’t think I was fully recovered from Covid. And, as always, working on swing changes and they aren’t quite tournament tested. Also had a trial

starting the next day and work calls and texts started rolling in on the back (although I think that’s when I started playing my best…) look at all those excuses, haha! But overall not terrible. Those fairways are like 23 yards wide and if you miss by half a yard it is a .75 stroke penalty, it feels like. Good playing, Joel. 
 

On to the PLDA long drive comp today! It’s a perfect day for long drive. Like 90+ degrees, no wind. People should be absolutely bombing it out there. Really looking forward to it. 
 

Then what sounds like the total opposite: CGA Am Qualifier at Highland Hills on Tuesday. Should be fun!

[pseudoswede]

Wife and I played couples league this afternoon. Holy bleep it was hot today.

[deadsolid...shank]

19 hours ago, bobbyclampett!! said:

I shot 83-79 at Collindale Invite. Three triples over two days killed me. I was a little nervy for first tournament of the year on first nine. Also don’t think I was fully recovered from Covid. And, as always, working on swing changes and they aren’t quite tournament tested. Also had a trial

starting the next day and work calls and texts started rolling in on the back (although I think that’s when I started playing my best…) look at all those excuses, haha! But overall not terrible. Those fairways are like 23 yards wide and if you miss by half a yard it is a .75 stroke penalty, it feels like. Good playing, Joel. 
 

On to the PLDA long drive comp today! It’s a perfect day for long drive. Like 90+ degrees, no wind. People should be absolutely bombing it out there. Really looking forward to it. 
 

Then what sounds like the total opposite: CGA Am Qualifier at Highland Hills on Tuesday. Should be fun!

What time do you play Tuesday? I didn’t even know they had something going on.  

 

 I walked nine last night ( bad choice in 100* heat), while the course itself is still rough, they had the greens really moving. And boy are they firm.  

Edited June 12, 2022 by deadsolid...shank

[I_HATE_SNOW]

On 6/8/2022 at 1:08 PM, pseudoswede said:

Narrow and tree-lined? I'm out. 😄

Same here.  My favorite courses have few or no trees.  Redlands Mesa, Sandhollow, Wildhorse, Prairie Club Dunes.

[bobbyclampett!!]

13 hours ago, deadsolid...shank said:

What time do you play Tuesday? I didn’t even know they had something going on.  

 

 I walked nine last night ( bad choice in 100* heat), while the course itself is still rough, they had the greens really moving. And boy are they firm.  

Thanks for the heads up on the greens. 
 

I go off at 7 am, first tee time. Looks like tee times go until 8:50. 
 

The PLDA event was pretty fun, although pretty poorly organized my day. They were about an hour and a half behind and it was blazing hot out there. It was still fun to go hit the ball as hard as possible. My longest each session was about 360. My longest was I think 362. The guys who topped the Amateur division were 400+, up to 420. Saw Martin Borgmeier won the pro division with a drive of 484. 😳 Those guys are obviously on another level. 

[Joelness]

On 6/10/2022 at 8:37 PM, deadsolid...shank said:

I’ve only played Collindale a few times. I don’t know that I would say it is “easier”, but I did feel it had a little more room off the tee. And the doglegs weren’t near as severe. And yes, when HH gets the greens running, they are just brutal. 

 

Are you playing the HH invitational this weekend Joel?  I heard someone come into the shop on Wednesday to sign up, and it was already full. 
 

But conditions are really bad right now, there are going be some seriously disgruntled people this weekend. 

 

I skipped HH this weekend. I got invited to the CO National Member-guest which is almost always the same weekend.  I'm undecided on if I play it again. I shot somewhere around -8 in our 5 9-hole matches and we got absolutely waxed. Unfortunately in a net best-ball match play winning comes down more on how the high handicap teammate plays over the low handicap. I figure to win an average score needs to be around -5 per 9. If I'm having a good day I will average 3-4 birdies but I still need at least 2-3 more (all per 9-holes).

 

How did it turn out? I'm betting that either Hogan or Thayer won it.

 

On 6/8/2022 at 3:49 PM, RobotDoctor said:

I've never played Highland Hills in Greeley.  I have always played Boomerang Golf Course instead but haven't played in Greeley in many years.  I personally LOVE Collindale Golf Course because it is a challenge regarding accuracy and putting.  I used to play golf at Saddleback Golf Course in Firestone and Ute Creek Golf Course in Longmont which neither placed a premium on accuracy.  When I moved back to Fort Collins I made Collindale Golf Course my home course.  At first playing Collindale in 2012 was a real challenge because I wasn't accurate but learned to drive the ball fairly precise.  Now I have much less fear of a tight driving hole.  My next home course in Palm Coast, FL is supposed to be a bit tight as well so the transition should be smoother for me.

 

https://www.palmcoastgov.com/parks/palm-harbor-golf-club

 

Get out there and play HH before you leave. It's a great track. It's a bit more target-y golf and plays pretty tough. For a muni it's really good.

 

On 6/11/2022 at 12:04 PM, bobbyclampett!! said:

I shot 83-79 at Collindale Invite. Three triples over two days killed me. I was a little nervy for first tournament of the year on first nine. Also don’t think I was fully recovered from Covid. And, as always, working on swing changes and they aren’t quite tournament tested. Also had a trial

starting the next day and work calls and texts started rolling in on the back (although I think that’s when I started playing my best…) look at all those excuses, haha! But overall not terrible. Those fairways are like 23 yards wide and if you miss by half a yard it is a .75 stroke penalty, it feels like. Good playing, Joel. 
 

On to the PLDA long drive comp today! It’s a perfect day for long drive. Like 90+ degrees, no wind. People should be absolutely bombing it out there. Really looking forward to it. 
 

Then what sounds like the total opposite: CGA Am Qualifier at Highland Hills on Tuesday. Should be fun!

 

Nervy is to be expected. I wouldn't put much stock into it. We all have good and bad days.

I hope you play well tomorrow morning! I decided to go for the CC of CO qual as I like that course a lot. I'm not sure why they scheduled the HH qualifier the same day as day 1 of the match play. The good news is you'll be missing all of us that are playing the match play.

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by Joelness
wrong day for qual

[TheKrushh]

3 hours ago, Joelness said:

 

I skipped HH this weekend. I got invited to the CO National Member-guest which is almost always the same weekend.  I'm undecided on if I play it again. I shot somewhere around -8 in our 5 9-hole matches and we got absolutely waxed. Unfortunately in a net best-ball match play winning comes down more on how the high handicap teammate plays over the low handicap. I figure to win an average score needs to be around -5 per 9. If I'm having a good day I will average 3-4 birdies but I still need at least 2-3 more (all per 9-holes).

 

 

 

This is ridiculous. Handicaps are so weird. Everyone has BS caps, goes insanely low, BS's a few holes, and then plays dumb at the end. I'm so competitive with these silly events but it's bordering on insanity. Good luck to all in member guest season!

[Joelness]

38 minutes ago, TheKrushh said:

This is ridiculous. Handicaps are so weird. Everyone has BS caps, goes insanely low, BS's a few holes, and then plays dumb at the end. I'm so competitive with these silly events but it's bordering on insanity. Good luck to all in member guest season!

 

One thing I did really like is they used your low index for the last 12 months. That avoided the stacking of handicaps into the member-guest.

 

Yeah, I go both ways here. I think the hcp system is pretty solid. However, like any system, it breaks down on edge-cases. In this case the GHIN system sucks when you get above 20 or below 0. I think it's silly that I have to give a scratch golfer 2-3 shots. However, for the vast majority of people, it works pretty well assuming people don't cheat.

 

However, in our case my teammate did not play how he needed to play for us to win our flight. We also ran into a buzzsaw in one match where the guys were -5 through four and shot -8 overall in 9 holes. Just to rub it in, we found out they played the flight leaders in the next flight and halved the match shooting -1. Sometimes the bounces just don't go your way....

Edited June 13, 2022 by Joelness

[seven dewey]

Hope nobody was playing Fox Hollow this morning. Pretty crazy that a plane had to make an emergency landing on the fairway