Colorado WRX 2022

[Dancin]

5 minutes ago, ztull said:

Fantasy football league did an outing at The Ridge on Saturday, absolutely shredded it. Had a 14 handicap come in with 76, a reliable plus handicap double 18 for 64.

I sat the round out, and it's been a few years, but I remember The Ridge being a tough track. Am I misremembering?

You can't spray it at the ridge but if you are getting off the tee and are playing the correct tee for your length it isn't that tough.

[ztull]

52 minutes ago, Dancin said:

You can't spray it at the ridge but if you are getting off the tee and are playing the correct tee for your length it isn't that tough.

I maybe need to take another look. (As you would imagine) ball striking not a weak point for the dude who came in with a 64.

[Dancin]

They lit it up at Common Ground today for the US mid am qualifying. 64 and 65 to qualify

[Joelness]

On 8/17/2022 at 1:01 PM, ztull said:

Yes, GREAT walk, I'd argue better than CommonGround. I don't love hole 7, everything else top rate IMO. 

Some nostalgia for me as well, would come down from Boulder when I was in college.

 

Yep, 7 has always been interesting. Especially once all the trees really got big. I don't mind a hole that makes you hit Iron>Wedge though. The big tree blocking the right/short side of the fairway makes that hole better IMO because it forces more precision on the tee ball. 

 

Most people disagree with me but if you're going to design a short, precise hole then it should require a well struck iron on the tee.

On 8/17/2022 at 1:38 PM, pseudoswede said:

 

It's not even that. I shouldn't need to tee off on a par 5 with a 5-iron, then layup with a 6-iron.

 

Just hit driver left of the tree in the middle of the fairway. That's the line I take 😉

On 8/17/2022 at 2:40 PM, ztull said:

Ike Blue is one of the best bang for buck values in the galaxy if there are active duty or retired military in your group. Will be the best course you play, $67 civilian rate.

 

OMFG, most underrated golf course in the state. The blue course is incredible.

 

1 hour ago, Dancin said:

They lit it up at Common Ground today for the US mid am qualifying. 64 and 65 to qualify

 

Yuuuuuup. I got to 13 tee at -2, looked at the leaderboard and said... oh s*** I still need at LEAST two more. Then I made a big number on 16 trying to push it to make birdies all the way in after bogeying 13 and missing a 10 footer on 15 for birdie.

Edited August 18, 2022 by Joelness

[Joelness]

1 hour ago, Dancin said:

They lit it up at Common Ground today for the US mid am qualifying. 64 and 65 to qualify

 

By the way, we played up tees almost all day today. I'm not very surprised it was low, I bet we played it at 6800.

 

As far as my previous critique, it's definitely less annoying from 6800 so I see why you guys like it.  Most of those holes like 14 the green just wasn't designed for a 240 yard shot coming into it.

[ASak10]

3 minutes ago, Joelness said:

Yuuuuuup. I got to 13 tee at -2, looked at the leaderboard and said... oh s*** I still need at LEAST two more. Then I made a big number on 16 trying to push it to make birdies all the way in.

 

Nice run on 8, 9, and 10 though!  Looks like you were right and even 2 more wouldn't have made it.  Although DECADE system would tell you that chasing birdies is never a good idea, but I understand why you would it!  What happened on 16?! 

 

24 minutes ago, Joelness said:

 

By the way, we played up tees almost all day today. I'm not very surprised it was low, I bet we played it at 6800.

 

As far as my previous critique, it's definitely less annoying from 6800 so I see why you guys like it.  Most of those holes like 14 the green just wasn't designed for a 240 yard shot coming into it.

 

I'll have to play it from the tips one day.  I don't have the length or the skill to do so but would be fun to try once.  I see how that would make it a very different course.  

[ztull]

33 minutes ago, Joelness said:

 

Yep, 7 has always been interesting. Especially once all the trees really got big. I don't mind a hole that makes you hit Iron>Wedge though. The big tree blocking the right/short side of the fairway makes that hole better IMO because it forces more precision on the tee ball.

 

Just hit driver left of the tree in the middle of the fairway. That's the line I take 😉

 

I bang driver on 1 and on 7! Consequences be damned...

[Dancin]

40 minutes ago, Joelness said:

 

By the way, we played up tees almost all day today. I'm not very surprised it was low, I bet we played it at 6800.

 

As far as my previous critique, it's definitely less annoying from 6800 so I see why you guys like it.  Most of those holes like 14 the green just wasn't designed for a 240 yard shot coming into it.

Interesting. That does explain the low scores. You likely would have made it if you had gone for the CGA mid am instead as you wouldn't have had to push for the extra birdies, but where's the fun in that...

[Joelness]

2 hours ago, ASak10 said:

 

Nice run on 8, 9, and 10 though!  Looks like you were right and even 2 more wouldn't have made it.  Although DECADE system would tell you that chasing birdies is never a good idea, but I understand why you would it!  What happened on 16?! 

 

 

I'll have to play it from the tips one day.  I don't have the length or the skill to do so but would be fun to try once.  I see how that would make it a very different course.  

 

I knew I needed to birdie out at that point so I tried to hit a draw as hard as I could and overcooked it into the hay. We never found it. At that point I knew my day was over. It was an easy 7 after that from the middle of the fairway 😉

 

2 hours ago, Dancin said:

Interesting. That does explain the low scores. You likely would have made it if you had gone for the CGA mid am instead as you wouldn't have had to push for the extra birdies, but where's the fun in that...

 

No point when I'm already exempt 😜

[Joelness]

2 hours ago, ztull said:

I bang driver on 1 and on 7! Consequences be damned...

 

lol. I made a 2 there with a 3w from the blues during a skins game in 2020.

 

I've also hit a guy on that green not knowing he was there thanks to those big trees blocking the view. I waited 8 mins....

[bobbyclampett!!]

14 minutes ago, Joelness said:

 

I knew I needed to birdie out at that point so I tried to hit a draw as hard as I could and overcooked it into the hay. We never found it. At that point I knew my day was over. It was an easy 7 after that from the middle of the fairway 😉

 

 

No point when I'm already exempt 😜

Do you know what qualified for the CGA mid-am? I was kinda bummed because I signed up for this qualifier and was excited to play CG for the first time, and I knew you had to be signed up for US mid-am qualifier, too, but my recollection is the US mid-am must have filled up in hours if not minutes? I think I went to it the same day it opened and it said it was full. Then the CGA kicked me out of this last minute and said I can play in Pueblo or Montrose. I don’t really want to drive that far. Last chance qualifier in Longmont has 19 on the waiting list…🙄

 

So please tell me something like 68, not 78, qualified for CGA…

[Joelness]

10 minutes ago, bobbyclampett!! said:

Do you know what qualified for the CGA mid-am? I was kinda bummed because I signed up for this qualifier and was excited to play CG for the first time, and I knew you had to be signed up for US mid-am qualifier, too, but my recollection is the US mid-am must have filled up in hours if not minutes? I think I went to it the same day it opened and it said it was full. Then the CGA kicked me out of this last minute and said I can play in Pueblo or Montrose. I don’t really want to drive that far. Last chance qualifier in Longmont has 19 on the waiting list…🙄

 

So please tell me something like 68, not 78, qualified for CGA…

 

72 was a 5 for 2 scorecard playoff it looks like.

https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/3757082

[bobbyclampett!!]

Well who knows. I was not super impressed with how CGA and USGA worked this together, was kind of confusing, or maybe I just screwed it up. Oh well, always next year. Good luck at the CGA Mid-am, Joel!

 

Club Championship at Collindale this weekend. Looking forward to it. I’m hitting it better than I ever have after working pretty hard on some changes this year. Will let you all know how it goes. 

[TheKrushh]

15 hours ago, bobbyclampett!! said:

Well who knows. I was not super impressed with how CGA and USGA worked this together, was kind of confusing, or maybe I just screwed it up. Oh well, always next year. Good luck at the CGA Mid-am, Joel!

 

Club Championship at Collindale this weekend. Looking forward to it. I’m hitting it better than I ever have after working pretty hard on some changes this year. Will let you all know how it goes. 

Good luck! Make a bunch of birdies!

 

[Joelness]

15 hours ago, bobbyclampett!! said:

Well who knows. I was not super impressed with how CGA and USGA worked this together, was kind of confusing, or maybe I just screwed it up. Oh well, always next year. Good luck at the CGA Mid-am, Joel!

 

Club Championship at Collindale this weekend. Looking forward to it. I’m hitting it better than I ever have after working pretty hard on some changes this year. Will let you all know how it goes. 

 

Yeah, they always do it that way. Those qualifiers are a "registered for both or none" situation every year. At least you learned it so you won't make the mistake again. Honestly, if qualifying is your priority doing the combined one is not the way to go as all the best players play in the USGA ones and the CGA side only ends up with 4-6 qualifying spots.

 

So that one was 72 but I would put the over-under on the scorecard playoff number for the other qualifiers at 76.

 

39 minutes ago, TheKrushh said:

Good luck! Make a bunch of birdies!

 

 

Better yet, don't make any bogeys!

Edited August 19, 2022 by Joelness

[ztull]

Played LSU's golf course a couple of months ago, VERY bad course that allowed me to meditate upon the evolution and importance of golf equipment technology:

https://straightgross.com/2022/08/19/the-worst-course-ive-ever-played/

Maybe off topic for this thread, but LSU's golf course makes Colorado National look like Pine Valley. I'm not even sure if a comp even exists for Walking Stick. Haven't played the DU course, gonna catch hell for it 😞 

[bobbyclampett!!]

5 hours ago, Joelness said:

 

Yeah, they always do it that way. Those qualifiers are a "registered for both or none" situation every year. At least you learned it so you won't make the mistake again. Honestly, if qualifying is your priority doing the combined one is not the way to go as all the best players play in the USGA ones and the CGA side only ends up with 4-6 qualifying spots.

 

So that one was 72 but I would put the over-under on the scorecard playoff number for the other qualifiers at 76.

 

Yeah, noted. That was dumb on my part. I just really wanted to play Commonground and didn't really want to play Twin Peaks, which is actually closer to me, but one of the least inspiring courses I've played in CO, in my opinion.

[Bmart311]

18 hours ago, ztull said:

Played LSU's golf course a couple of months ago, VERY bad course that allowed me to meditate upon the evolution and importance of golf equipment technology:

https://straightgross.com/2022/08/19/the-worst-course-ive-ever-played/

Maybe off topic for this thread, but LSU's golf course makes Colorado National look like Pine Valley. I'm not even sure if a comp even exists for Walking Stick. Haven't played the DU course, gonna catch hell for it 😞 

 

Hahaha this makes me laugh. I learned how to play golf there in Grad School, would basically sneak on every day and play as many holes as I could. It is basically just a cheap course for students, no self respecting golfer chooses to play there. It is unfair to compare Colorado National to the LSU course, the LSU team plays as University Club.  But I enjoyed reading your post because it is what I would expect and hilarious as that is where I learned to play. In retrospect, you should have played the Beau Chene Oaks course, Mandeville is where I am from and that course is very good. In Baton Rouge the best course is Country Club of Louisiana followed by University Club, both private and a big step above BRCC. The public courses worth playing in Baton Rouge are Beaver Creek, Santa Maria, and Copper Mill and that is really it. 

[bobbyclampett!!]

76. Not bad. Slow start, which seems to plague me. Made three bogeys from 115 and in. No doubles and no penalty strokes. I was pleased with my mental attitude and emotional level, which was pretty even keel throughout the round. Pretty tentative on and around the greens, as they looked intimidating but really weren’t that bad. Hit three perfect shots to finish with a birdie on 18, so that’s got me feeling pretty good! Played with my old Mizuno MP29s bent pretty flat. It was fun! Love the flat lie angle in the long irons. Not so great in the 8-pw. 

 

Edited August 20, 2022 by bobbyclampett!!

[Joelness]

On 8/19/2022 at 5:16 PM, bobbyclampett!! said:

Yeah, noted. That was dumb on my part. I just really wanted to play Commonground and didn't really want to play Twin Peaks, which is actually closer to me, but one of the least inspiring courses I've played in CO, in my opinion.

 

If you really want to play Commonground then just go play it. If you want to qualify for the CGA mid-am, then give yourself the best shot at it you can, IMO.

 

On 8/20/2022 at 2:25 PM, bobbyclampett!! said:

76. Not bad. Slow start, which seems to plague me. Made three bogeys from 115 and in. No doubles and no penalty strokes. I was pleased with my mental attitude and emotional level, which was pretty even keel throughout the round. Pretty tentative on and around the greens, as they looked intimidating but really weren’t that bad. Hit three perfect shots to finish with a birdie on 18, so that’s got me feeling pretty good! Played with my old Mizuno MP29s bent pretty flat. It was fun! Love the flat lie angle in the long irons. Not so great in the 8-pw. 

 

 

Not too shabby at all! How did Sunday go?!

[bobbyclampett!!]

1 hour ago, Joelness said:

 

If you really want to play Commonground then just go play it. If you want to qualify for the CGA mid-am, then give yourself the best shot at it you can, IMO.

 

 

Not too shabby at all! How did Sunday go?!

 

Good points. I will definitely follow that principle in the future. 

 

Sunday was alright. 79. I was actually five over both days going into 18, just birdied it one day and doubled it the other, lol (my only double of the whole tournament!).  Amazing the razor thin line between a good round and a so-so round. Sunday was definitely harder, with more difficult pin positions. I actually moved up a spot with the 79, finished 7th, haha.

 

I don't know, man. I'm 41 now, work a lot. Just don't get to play that much. A typical week for me is hitting a small bucket (35 balls) and practice putting for about ten minutes (total of about 30-45 minutes of practice) 2-3 times a week during the summer, and then nine holes on the weekend to try to keep the game sharp. It's just so hard to keep the game in shape, especially in a place as punishing as Collindale. I got kind of exhausted and mentally worn down on Sunday because I was like "Alright, you shot 76 yesterday and you know you can do better than that, today let's go out and post a number," and you know, I just barely miss #1 green to the left, have a tricky lob that you have to get the speed exactly right and... before you know it you are one over. And it just goes on like that at Collindale, hole after hole. Like I have this feeling that I am playing well (driving it pretty good, short game good, putting good... iron approach shots are where I have always struggled), but if you're not playing REALLY WELL at Collindale, I feel like it's just so easy to make bogey. If either your drive or approach or short game shot or putting is just slightly off, you will bogey, that's all there is to it. And I'm just not that good or precise to hit drives down the middle and darts to the middle of the green and then lag putt perfectly all day, every hole. Gets exhausting. 

 

But, all that said, I had a great time trying to score and being in competiton. Love competitve golf. I just wish I was a little bettter (like every golfer ever)!

 

 

[TheKrushh]

Got some hardware this weekend! Was roping the driver this weekend and we did enough to get the job done. Don, I played with your member/member partner Matt Middlebrooks on Saturday. 

[deadsolid...shank]

Does Collindale typically keep their rough fairly short?  When we played there last week, if you missed in the trees you could punch the ball and run it up to or on the green At Highland Hills it’s so damn thick it just grabs your ball and eats it up. 

[bobbyclampett!!]

1 hour ago, deadsolid...shank said:

Does Collindale typically keep their rough fairly short?  When we played there last week, if you missed in the trees you could punch the ball and run it up to or on the green At Highland Hills it’s so damn thick it just grabs your ball and eats it up. 

Yeah the rough is usually not too thick there, which is nice because missing the fairway by one foot is usually penal enough! 😂😂😂

[CSURam_06]

Played my CC at Valley this weekend (4th Flight) and went 40-54 on saturday, with 4 three putt bogies on the front.  I learned the hard lesson of not looking at the leaderboard while making the turn.  I was 5 up and just s*** the bed on the back.  Shot a respectable (for a 12 hcp) 84 on sunday.  Played in the Commonground pro-am yesterday and was 2 over through 9 and shot an 87.  I really need to become mentally stronger when I'm playing decent to keep it going.  Its fun to realize that good golf is in me, but also really frustrating to not be able to finish a round.

 

[Joelness]

On 8/22/2022 at 9:45 AM, bobbyclampett!! said:

 

Good points. I will definitely follow that principle in the future. 

 

Sunday was alright. 79. I was actually five over both days going into 18, just birdied it one day and doubled it the other, lol (my only double of the whole tournament!).  Amazing the razor thin line between a good round and a so-so round. Sunday was definitely harder, with more difficult pin positions. I actually moved up a spot with the 79, finished 7th, haha.

 

I don't know, man. I'm 41 now, work a lot. Just don't get to play that much. A typical week for me is hitting a small bucket (35 balls) and practice putting for about ten minutes (total of about 30-45 minutes of practice) 2-3 times a week during the summer, and then nine holes on the weekend to try to keep the game sharp. It's just so hard to keep the game in shape, especially in a place as punishing as Collindale. I got kind of exhausted and mentally worn down on Sunday because I was like "Alright, you shot 76 yesterday and you know you can do better than that, today let's go out and post a number," and you know, I just barely miss #1 green to the left, have a tricky lob that you have to get the speed exactly right and... before you know it you are one over. And it just goes on like that at Collindale, hole after hole. Like I have this feeling that I am playing well (driving it pretty good, short game good, putting good... iron approach shots are where I have always struggled), but if you're not playing REALLY WELL at Collindale, I feel like it's just so easy to make bogey. If either your drive or approach or short game shot or putting is just slightly off, you will bogey, that's all there is to it. And I'm just not that good or precise to hit drives down the middle and darts to the middle of the green and then lag putt perfectly all day, every hole. Gets exhausting. 

 

But, all that said, I had a great time trying to score and being in competiton. Love competitve golf. I just wish I was a little bettter (like every golfer ever)!

 

 

 

That 18th is a tough hole. 

 

I understand the frustration. Collindale is a silly hard track. I feel like a lot of the discouragement comes from generally shooting higher numbers there. However, as you said you moved UP a spot shooting 79. That's just how hard it is. Every year the Collindale Invitational is usually won around even or -1. Those are a lot of the best am players in the state (including the CSU team) and it's still around even. Remember the US Open local qualifier? One under was a playoff!

 

I hope that little bit of that perspective can help.

 

For me, I love playing a shotmaker's golf course like Collindale and Fox Hill every day because they force you to hit it well. There's no "getting away with it" at either of those courses. Over the long term, that demand will make you a better ball-striker.

 

Count me as one of those people that wish they were a little bit better. I still haven't won my CC at Fox either. I sure have a lot of Fox Hill CC and CGA 2nd places! 😭

[bobbyclampett!!]

46 minutes ago, Joelness said:

 

That 18th is a tough hole. 

 

I understand the frustration. Collindale is a silly hard track. I feel like a lot of the discouragement comes from generally shooting higher numbers there. However, as you said you moved UP a spot shooting 79. That's just how hard it is. Every year the Collindale Invitational is usually won around even or -1. Those are a lot of the best am players in the state (including the CSU team) and it's still around even. Remember the US Open local qualifier? One under was a playoff!

 

I hope that little bit of that perspective can help.

 

For me, I love playing a shotmaker's golf course like Collindale and Fox Hill every day because they force you to hit it well. There's no "getting away with it" at either of those courses. Over the long term, that demand will make you a better ball-striker.

 

Count me as one of those people that wish they were a little bit better. I still haven't won my CC at Fox either. I sure have a lot of Fox Hill CC and CGA 2nd places! 😭

Haha, that does make me feel better. There for a while when I lived in Cheyenne and played the Airport a lot I would shoot in the 60s at least once a year (easy par 70 course, but still it was fun to shoot in the 60s!). Since moving to Fort Collins in November 2020 I haven’t shot in the 60s. I did shoot a 70 at Southridge in the City Championship last year. My major golf goal is to shoot in the 60s from the black tees at Collindale. My best so far is 74. It gets discouraging. Maybe you’re right- I need to go play a more wide open course and maybe I can go low and get encouraged again!

[Joelness]

23 hours ago, CSURam_06 said:

Played my CC at Valley this weekend (4th Flight) and went 40-54 on saturday, with 4 three putt bogies on the front.  I learned the hard lesson of not looking at the leaderboard while making the turn.  I was 5 up and just s*** the bed on the back.  Shot a respectable (for a 12 hcp) 84 on sunday.  Played in the Commonground pro-am yesterday and was 2 over through 9 and shot an 87.  I really need to become mentally stronger when I'm playing decent to keep it going.  Its fun to realize that good golf is in me, but also really frustrating to not be able to finish a round.

 

 

Personally, I think mental *strength* is a misnomer. We all have mental energy that is being expressed all day, every day. I believe the key to getting better at the mental game revolves around 1. being aware of where that energy is going and then 2. directing that mental energy to a productive place.

 

When you're doing well our natural instincts is for that mental energy to get routed towards the end result and dreaming of life after you've gotten there. Next time you're doing well, pay attention to where that mental energy is going. Notice yourself thinking of those things and re-route that energy towards focus on the only thing that matters, the next shot. It's not easy and it's not perfect but it all starts with being aware of where that energy is going at all times.

 

Try that out and lmk how it goes.

 

Side note: Pay attention to the announcers next time you're watching the back 9 on a Sunday. You will notice a lot of talk about this very same idea. The bigger the stakes, the harder it is to route that energy to its proper place.

[ztull]

Quick trip to Dismal, the greens are mostly back, conditions should peak mid-late October which is late for the club but I’m just happy you can putt again lol.

 

We also played Pelican Beach on the way back, I was blown away. REAL pride in ownership (the greens were nicer than Dismal) and a fun course with some teeth. Visually engaging and forced carry of 200+ yards from the tips on nine.

 

Easily the best honor box course I’ve ever played, it’s as good as anywhere else, just at 3/4th scale.

 

Also hit Cactus Heights in Big Springs. My first experience with sand greens it was absolutely wild..

 

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by ztull

[CSURam_06]

4 hours ago, Joelness said:

 

Personally, I think mental *strength* is a misnomer. We all have mental energy that is being expressed all day, every day. I believe the key to getting better at the mental game revolves around 1. being aware of where that energy is going and then 2. directing that mental energy to a productive place.

 

When you're doing well our natural instincts is for that mental energy to get routed towards the end result and dreaming of life after you've gotten there. Next time you're doing well, pay attention to where that mental energy is going. Notice yourself thinking of those things and re-route that energy towards focus on the only thing that matters, the next shot. It's not easy and it's not perfect but it all starts with being aware of where that energy is going at all times.

 

Try that out and lmk how it goes.

 

Side note: Pay attention to the announcers next time you're watching the back 9 on a Sunday. You will notice a lot of talk about this very same idea. The bigger the stakes, the harder it is to route that energy to its proper place.

Thanks for the advice!  Just so frustrating, but its what I love about the game.