The Links Lounge (*** NO POLITICS/RELIGION/LIV ***)

[mshills]

1 minute ago, touch said:

@mshills , is this the tournament that you will be participating in?

 

 

U.S. Adaptive Open showcases golf as 'the ultimate sport for inclusion

https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/40445296/us-adaptive-open-golf-tournament-2024

😁 thanks…eventually, you bet you’re going to see me there!

 

I entered the sectional qualifier in early May, didn’t play well, and didn’t come close to qualifying, but I cannot wait to enter again next year. 

[DLeightonReid]

Good morning, Loungers!  We went on a road trip last week with our oldest daughter and her family to Colorada, Arizona, and Utah.  We visited several National Parks and enjoyed the amazing scenery.  

 

 

[chisag]

16 minutes ago, DLeightonReid said:

 

 

 

 

Edited July 8 by chisag

[touch]

It's time to play golf. 

Cummings Cove 

88* 58% humidity - feels like temp 93*. Fortunately it's breezy out here. Stan cancelled. Mike drove up from SC to fill in. It's Mike's first time playing Cummings Cove.

 

[chisag]

20 hours ago, touch said:

89 Pts - P3P

80 Pts- NCLancer

 

 

 

... Here is the race to watch! 🫣

[NJBigFish22]

5 hours ago, touch said:

Interesting take P3P. I'm one who doesn't enjoy walking when playing golf. I have too many miles on my old legs and I know they will give out somewhere on the back 9 most rounds. I guess that would take me out for courses that are walking and caddies mandatory. I actually am not a fan of having a caddy also but I get that experience. I have turned down a couple of all expenses paid trips across the Atlantic because it's walking and caddies. It's also links golf which I am not a fan. Give me instead a decent stateside resort course, the use of a golf cart, good golf buddies in my foursome, and a cute beverage cart girl and then I'm a dandy cheerful vacationing golfer. 

 

 

I have only had a caddy 1 time and frankly it wasn’t great.  I can see if your scratch, but even when I was younger and a better player, I was still not consistent enough for the caddy benefit.  The best in my opinion is having a fore caddie.  

[dashanks]

I'd feel funny playing with a caddy because he'd probably be a better golfer than me.  Just doesn't seem right that he'd be carrying my clubs.  In a perfect world, it would be the other way around.

[NJBigFish22]

I went and played this morning and it was brutal heat and humidity wise.  I could feel the humidity during my warm up, but once the sun was out, it was really bad.  If I changed clothes, I think I could have used a wardrobe change every 3 holes.  Nothing worse then reaching into your pocket for a tee and your ball and then needing to dry your hand.

 

As for the golf, I continued to use driver on every tee shot (except 4. Par 3’s), for the most part it was still solid, but had five drives bounce in the FW and roll into the rough.  Nothing I could do but take my medicine.  This led to a poorer scoring day than my last round.  Lowlight of the round was the final 3 holes, solid tee shot, good approach or lay up, 3 jacked them all.  I didn’t have any real bad putts, just nothing dropped, or rolled out a bit farther than I liked.  I am sure I was just lacking focus from the heat.  Everybody in my group generally walks, today most grabbed a cart at the turn, cause NJ ain’t a desert, but was probably better than the hot humid no breeze morning we had.  

[chisag]

4 minutes ago, NJBigFish22 said:

I have only had a caddy 1 time and frankly it wasn’t great.  I can see if your scratch, but even when I was younger and a better player, I was still not consistent enough for the caddy benefit.  The best in my opinion is having a fore caddie.  

 

 

... 👍 I think the real problem with unknown caddies is the personalities. If I am gonna spend 4-5 hours in close contact with another person on a golf course, they need to be my kind of person. For me the means loose and relaxed, knowing when to talk and when to stay quiet. And they better be smiling a lot. I had one that was in a dour, serious mood the entire round and it was not a great day. I get issues may be going on in their personal life but if they are gonna be in the people business they better be able to read people. 

... That said the next player may want a caddie to be seen and not heard, other than advice and only if asked for. I am a friendly and considerate companion and there are plenty of selfish unpleasant folks out there. Caddying ain't an easy job for sure. 

[DLeightonReid]

On 7/7/2024 at 8:36 AM, Petethreeput said:

One other thing.  @deadsolid...shank noted the first tee of Whistling Straits, we came up the hill and our travel partners contacted the pro and there was a bottle of champagne, four glasses and a 25th Anniversary sign on the tee box.

 

Very touching and behind the sun glasses there was a tear or two.

 

 

I guess we were standing on the ceiling, weird.

What an awesome way to celebrate your anniversary.  Hope you had a great day and may you have many more.

[NJBigFish22]

3 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

 

... 👍 I think the real problem with unknown caddies is the personalities. If I am gonna spend 4-5 hours in close contact with another person on a golf course, they need to be my kind of person. For me the means loose and relaxed, knowing when to talk and when to stay quiet. And they better be smiling a lot. I had one that was in a dour, serious mood the entire round and it was not a great day. I get issues may be going on in their personal life but if they are gonna be in the people business they better be able to read people. 

... That said the next player may want a caddie to be seen and not heard, other than advice and only if asked for. I am a friendly and considerate companion and there are plenty of selfish unpleasant folks out there. Caddying ain't an easy job for sure. 

Agree, if I was to get another, he best not take himself to serious and have a good time. 

[chisag]

1 minute ago, NJBigFish22 said:

 I am sure I was just lacking focus from the heat.  Everybody in my group generally walks, today most grabbed a cart at the turn, cause NJ ain’t a desert, but was probably better than the hot humid no breeze morning we had.

 

 

... The hottest round I ever played was at Myrtle Beach when the temperature reached 102* and the humidity was in the low 90's. More unpleasant than the 117* I played with 7% humidity just to see what playing in that heat was like. They shut down the course because there were only 3 of us playing, all singles and I never saw anyone else. Ranger asked me to put my key in the slot and park my cart in front of the door when I was done. That turned out to be 2 holes later on #11 and I couldn't get in the ocean with my two boys fast enough. 

[aenemated]

And Pinehurst is booked. Playing #2 and #10. 

 

Eff yeah. 

[Soloman1]

3 hours ago, chisag said:

 

 

 

 

 

i have a theory. a conspiracy theory.

 

the phoenix forecasted high temperatures are intentionally kept low about a week before. let’s say next monday is forecasted to be 102°. three days before, it’s forecasted to be 107°. the day before, it’s forecasted to be 109°.

 

then, on the day, it’s 118°.

 

it’s a suicide prevention program.

 

if you saw the real forecast for the coming week, you’d slit your wrist, or jump off the grand canyon.

[Soloman1]

player is complaining about his caddie, hole after hole. finally, turns to caddie and says, “you must be the worst caddie in the world.”

 

caddie says, “sir, that would be too much of a coincidence.”

[chisag]

5 minutes ago, Soloman1 said:

 

 

i have a theory. a conspiracy theory.

 

the phoenix forecasted high temperatures are intentionally kept low about a week before. let’s say next monday is forecasted to be 102°. three days before, it’s forecasted to be 107°. the day before, it’s forecasted to be 109°.

 

then, on the day, it’s 118°.

 

it’s a suicide prevention program.

 

if you saw the real forecast for the coming week, you’d slit your wrist, or jump off the grand canyon.

 

 

... LOL, I am still relatively new here. As you know last July was brutal with 29 out if 30 days 110* or higher. At least the "fake forecast" is calling for temps under 110* starting Saturday. We will get a chance to test your theory. 🤣

[Soloman1]

1 minute ago, chisag said:

 

 

... LOL, I am still relatively new here. As you know last July was brutal with 29 out if 30 days 110* or higher. At least the "fake forecast" is calling for temps under 110* starting Saturday. We will get a chance to test your theory. 🤣

 

next week was only an example… not actual forecast. might have some rain next week. imagine that? 🙂

 

 

first summer i was here, it reached 122° one day. some aircraft were grounded because they were not certified to takeoff at that temperature.

 

i’m not certified to operate at that temperature either.

 

it’s so hot, i have cactus dying.

[mshills]

30 minutes ago, chisag said:

Caddying ain't an easy job for sure. 

True statement. I did it for a long time, mostly at the club level with one brief foray onto what was then the Nike Tour. Also caddied in sectional US Open qualifiers, state am, mid am, and pro am — anywhere I could get a bag.

 

It is not easy, and I’ve had a pretty nice career since leaving the caddie ranks, but caddying is still the most fun I ever had making money. I absolutely loved it, at all levels, and you learn to adjust very quickly depending on the event level and the player. 
 

Here are the memorable players I’ve at least been in the same group with if not on that bag:
 

Best ball strikers:

Sandy Lyle, Craig Stadler, Dino Lucchesi, Bruce Soulsby

 

Most accurate:

Stewart Cink, Tommy Masters, Jay Haas, Craig Stadler

 

Longest hitter:

John Adams

 

Threat to put up a LOW number:

Daniel Chopra

 

Coolest guy:

Roger Maltbie 

 

The last one is tough, but he was particularly Awesome. I wouldn’t begin to try counting how many people I looped for over time. All those rounds, club, event, high-level am, pro, etc., I can remember specifically everyone who was a jerk. It’s that small of a number that I remember every one. That’s not to say I worked great with every player, or that every player liked me on the bag. But it does prove Harvey Penick was right, if you play golf you are my friend. 

[mshills]

[DLeightonReid]

2 hours ago, NJBigFish22 said:

I have only had a caddy 1 time and frankly it wasn’t great.  I can see if your scratch, but even when I was younger and a better player, I was still not consistent enough for the caddy benefit.  The best in my opinion is having a fore caddie.  

Like you, I have experienced golfing with a caddie only once.  Several years ago, a friend invited me to play at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis with his son, who was a member.  We had 2 caddies for our foursome and I remember being nervous about playing in front of the caddies.  At the time, I used a GPS device for distances and I had downloaded the Bellerive course prior to the round.  After our drives on the first hole, I looked at my GPS for distance to the middle of the green and the caddie came over and gave me the same yardage, but went on to tell me where I needed to land the ball and how far I needed the shot to carry.  After that, the GPS was turned off and went back in the bag.  The caddie also gave me a very helpful tip when he suggested I hit a hybrid out of a fairway bunker.  Also, he was spot-on reading the greens for putting and chipping.  Our caddie was very nice and it didn't take long for the jitters to disappear and we enjoyed the round immensely.  

[chisag]

19 minutes ago, DLeightonReid said:

Like you, I have experienced golfing with a caddie only once.  Several years ago, a friend invited me to play at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis with his son, who was a member.  We had 2 caddies for our foursome and I remember being nervous about playing in front of the caddies.  

Our caddie was very nice and it didn't take long for the jitters to disappear and we enjoyed the round immensely.  

 

 

... It's human nature I guess but I have to think a good caddie is like a good instructor. To be honest, the worse the player the more I enjoyed teaching them because I could usually make immediate improvements with them. Sooooo many were crazy nervous and I always started my first lesson with this request "I know it isn't always possible but whatever you do, please don't step up and hit a good shot. If could show me your very worst swing it would make my job sooooo much easier." It usually put them at least a little more at ease. If they hit a bad shot right away, and most did, I would always give them a big smile and say Thank you! 

 

... Instructors and caddies have seen every kind of swing and every kind of player. If you are a pleasant person to be around, they will enjoy their time with you and golfing ability doesn't really enter into it. 

[Double Mocha Man]

26 minutes ago, DLeightonReid said:

Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis

 

Ah, that's one of the St. Louis golf courses I was actually caught in the act of sneaking onto.  Didn't even get off the first tee before security nabbed me.

[NJBigFish22]

47 minutes ago, DLeightonReid said:

Like you, I have experienced golfing with a caddie only once.  Several years ago, a friend invited me to play at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis with his son, who was a member.  We had 2 caddies for our foursome and I remember being nervous about playing in front of the caddies.  At the time, I used a GPS device for distances and I had downloaded the Bellerive course prior to the round.  After our drives on the first hole, I looked at my GPS for distance to the middle of the green and the caddie came over and gave me the same yardage, but went on to tell me where I needed to land the ball and how far I needed the shot to carry.  After that, the GPS was turned off and went back in the bag.  The caddie also gave me a very helpful tip when he suggested I hit a hybrid out of a fairway bunker.  Also, he was spot-on reading the greens for putting and chipping.  Our caddie was very nice and it didn't take long for the jitters to disappear and we enjoyed the round immensely.  

The distances, green reading and other things mentioned are the benefits of a caddy.  But even back then I wasn’t consistent. I could hit a 7 iron 180, then the next 165 or 200.  So him telling me I’m 175 to the pin doesn’t mean much if I am not doing that number 8/10 times.

[mshills]

I know it is easy for the ex caddie to say but here goes. Don’t worry about getting nervous or stage fright with a caddie. That person is there for one reason only: for you to have a better time playing golf that day. For some that might mean at least one shot (if not several) better from some local knowledge. For others that might mean not losing a ball. For others, laughter from a joke cracked at the right time, or even a fart ripped at a strategic time that makes everyone bust out laughing. 
 

I say this not like there’s a “DONT BE NERVOUS” button you can just go push. I know it’s not like that and if you are not used to playing with a caddie, it’s natural to be a little keyed up. Tell him. If he’s any good he will know what to do to put you at ease. And don’t worry about your swing, trust me he’s seen EVERYTHING. Just on the #1 tee I saw:

 

Tee ball hit tree trunk 20’ in front of tee box, bounce 200 yards backwards into the driving range, lost ball. 
 

Clubhead come off and out-drive the ball. 
 

Divot 20” behind teed up Maxfli. 
 

Tee ball popped up and landed on practice green. 
 

Player faces 180* the wrong direction and flushes tee ball right into the members parking lot. 😮

 

The only thing I would not do was once a player offered me big $ to stomp his opponent’s ball into the ground. 

[Soloman1]

hot shot turbo-type guy is playing a course the day after a tournament.

 

par-3, all over water.

 

caddy says it’s a 5-iron.

 

guy says, “what did arnie hit?”

 

caddie says 6-iron.

 

”give me the 6-iron.”

 

guy dumps short in the water.

 

guy says, “you told me he hit a 6-iron!”

 

caddie says, “yeah, he hit it in the water, too.”

[NCLancer]

5 hours ago, aenemated said:

And Pinehurst is booked. Playing #2 and #10. 

 

Eff yeah. 

@aenemated Did you ever get a chance to play The Pit?  Mrs. NCL and I did a June stay at one of their condos in 2010 and we thought it was a truly fun and challenging course.  We probably played about 50 holes those 2 days and we found it very different than the other Sandhills courses as it had some cool topography with it being routed through an abandoned sand pit.  I guess they ran into financial difficulties, closed and then sold to the Resort.  Big bucks were put into the renovation (rebuild?), and I have read that #10 is just a notch below #2 and #4. 

 

Hope you have a great trip and a fantastic time this fall. 

 

Found a pic from our trip.  I can't recall which hole # this Par 3 was but the cool thing I do remember was the cable which led from a machine on my left which was attached to another machine about 50 yards to my right.  A net was attached to said cable and 2 guys were harvesting thousands of golf balls.  I may have helped their cause Day 2...     

 

 

 

 

Edited July 9 by NCLancer

[chisag]

2 hours ago, Soloman1 said:

hot shot turbo-type guy is playing a course the day after a tournament.

 

par-3, all over water.

 

caddy says it’s a 5-iron.

 

guy says, “what did arnie hit?”

 

caddie says 6-iron.

 

”give me the 6-iron.”

 

guy dumps short in the water.

 

guy says, “you told me he hit a 6-iron!”

 

caddie says, “yeah, he hit it in the water, too.”

[chisag]

... @aenemated one of my favorite concerts ever was watching Jeff on the V is for v***** Tour.

 
 

 

 

[aenemated]

31 minutes ago, chisag said:

... @aenemated one of my favorite concerts ever was watching Jeff on the V is for v***** Tour.

 
 

 

 

 

Nice!

 

I play Danny's Vics. Cool taper around the fulcrum that I quite like. No one else makes anything like 'em. 

 

[DLeightonReid]

Good morning!  Sorry, but I am about to make @chisag jealous, but we have light rain this morning with the predicted high in the 70's.  My wife is off to work and I am planning my activities for the day.