Colorado WRX 2024

[CDM]

3 hours ago, deadsolid...shank said:

Only lost 1 moving up?  
 

We played up for our Masters Tournament on Saturday, I lost four moving up. That should be pretty similar to a tournament I’ll play back in Nebraska in a couple of weeks. I’ll lose four or five. 
 

Are their tee ratings really close?

 

He is "sand baggin"   🤣

 

Though I can not dispute what @Dancin says on only 1. 

 

A course I play, few have on here played it, moving from Blue to White tees you do only get 2 strokes different YET playing the Blues tees depending the day is way harder, much more then 2 strokes.  

[ASak10]

Yeah I don't really care what tee box I play from, I suck from all of them anyway.  

 

Edit:  although I did fire a 77 at CG last Friday, driver and irons were on fire. Short game and putting was so bleh.  I missed 4' and 5' birdie putts and also a 4' sand save attempt for par.  It's all downhill from here, I peaked too early.  

Edited April 18 by ASak10

[Joelness]

On 4/18/2024 at 1:20 PM, deadsolid...shank said:

Wow. Thats crazy. 
 

At the two Greeley Courses:

 

at Highland Hills a 5.3 goes to a 2 from the whites and a six from the blues. 

 

at Boomerang the 5.3 goes to a 1 and a 4 from the blues. 
 

At HH several of the whites are within a few steps of the blue. Not worth moving up for 3. But at Bommerang there are big differences, it’s well worth moving up there. 

 

Ideally if handicap ratings were perfect these would all be the same and not even a debate, you could just pick any tees and shoot the designated number on average.

[Joelness]

On 4/18/2024 at 3:40 PM, CDM said:

 

He is "sand baggin"   🤣

 

Though I can not dispute what @Dancin says on only 1. 

 

A course I play, few have on here played it, moving from Blue to White tees you do only get 2 strokes different YET playing the Blues tees depending the day is way harder, much more then 2 strokes.  

 

Fox Hill is ~3 shots harder from the blues IMO. Ironically almost zero of the members want to play the blues because the rating brings their cap down. This is hilarious to me as the rating is only 1.2 shots harder.

 

It REALLY depends on where they put the blue tees. If they put them where they were when the CGA rated the course then I think it would be better for your cap to play the blues and then move up in competition. However, it really comes down to a few key holes where the blues and blacks were rated from the same place. If the blue tees are up on those few key holes that day then it definitely shifts it to match the rating change much more closely.

[j4663535]

Stupid spring snow. If they are open, Ute is gonna be sloppy tomorrow 

[deadsolid...shank]

9 hours ago, Joelness said:

 

Fox Hill is ~3 shots harder from the blues IMO. Ironically almost zero of the members want to play the blues because the rating brings their cap down. This is hilarious to me as the rating is only 1.2 shots harder.

 

It REALLY depends on where they put the blue tees. If they put them where they were when the CGA rated the course then I think it would be better for your cap to play the blues and then move up in competition. However, it really comes down to a few key holes where the blues and blacks were rated from the same place. If the blue tees are up on those few key holes that day then it definitely shifts it to match the rating change much more closely.

Tee box placement is big. At Highland right now at least four of the par fours (handicap holes 9,1,6,2) they have it the white tees just in front of the blues. Basically taken away about 40 yards on two of them. We have a couple older guys who honestly give up probably close to 100 yards in driver length to the younger guys, and they’re playing the high handicap holes from almost identical length.  They can’t reach the green from there. Don’t have any idea why he’s setting it up this way. But those guys will have their handicaps going up quickly. 

[CDM]

Anyone play yesterday?  I really wanted too, but had wife commitments I made 🙃

 

It seemed pretty decent by mid/late afternoon that could play depending on location. 

[j4663535]

1 hour ago, CDM said:

Anyone play yesterday?  I really wanted too, but had wife commitments I made 🙃

 

It seemed pretty decent by mid/late afternoon that could play depending on location. 

Yea, Ute wasn't nearly as sloppy as I thought it would be. Little cool when we started at noon but ended up being real nice. Still took 5 hours and by the time we got to 18 there were 4 groups on the hole. 2 on the tee, 1 in the fairway waiting, and 1 on the green taking their sweet time. Took 25 minutes to play the hole.

[TheKrushh]

On 4/18/2024 at 9:40 AM, CDM said:

 

We agree to disagree 🤣

 

I get the aspects "for advantage" and exactly what you note about your game Ie: scoring different to account for having to hit long irons all day into greens is the point. 

 

I am saying no one should be allowed to pick a tee.  The men's club should set the tee and it should be based on handicaps associated. 

 

All that does is allow "someone" to pick a tee that allows for them to "save themselves" from not working on / practicing on what they should be.   

 

By allowing one side to pick to help the weakness they have how is that fair match?    

 

IE: you have played with David, he never misses fairways or greens for that matter as you know.  Not crazy long, but his game is that rock solid from all the effort and practice he puts in.  So a player who.....lets call it.... has "weaker game" and says "I can beat you but we have to do it on my TERMS." is that really a true match?  

 

*Yes we force Scott to play the tips and he is a 4-5 hdcp so his hdcp  would play the tips, he is longer then all of us off the tee but that makes him pull driver and we all know that is his weakness.  If  he does not  like it work on driving better and it would not be an issue.   It has also backfired on us a few times too when he is on with driver... 

 

What is odd is Common Ground is the only one I know that does this?   All the other clubs the tee is set, done, no debate.

 

There will always be people gaming the system but I think there's some logic in playing the box that you typically play. If your handicap is "established" from the blues, that should be where you play the tournament rounds from. 

I know @Dancin is right on this where the system is designed to adjust you for the appropriate tees but it never seems to work that way.

 

Also, our club went to 12 month lows for all the events this year which will be interesting to see if it keeps some of the perennial baggers out of their normal shenanigans.

[stoneydukes]

2 hours ago, CDM said:

Anyone play yesterday?  I really wanted too, but had wife commitments I made 🙃

 

It seemed pretty decent by mid/late afternoon that could play depending on location. 

I lucked out and grabbed a twosome at Riverdale at 2P. Course was playing really nice and weather was perfect.

[Dancin]

15 minutes ago, TheKrushh said:

 

Also, our club went to 12 month lows for all the events this year which will be interesting to see if it keeps some of the perennial baggers out of their normal shenanigans.

12 month low is the most fair way to do it. Sucks for you though if you are nowhere near the hot streak you used to be on to get that low. It should dramatically reduce the instances of people going way below their handicap.

[pseudoswede]

I'm so busy with life right now that I'm not sure I have the time/energy to play in any FRGC event through early June. First event is this Sunday at Lone Tree (closest course to my house on the schedule), but I've been voluntold I'm going to Boulder that day to help start moving my kid out of her dorm. I have family commitments on Thursday evenings at least through end of May that prevent me from playing in the Thursday night beer league at South Suburban.

 

It's probably for the best. I haven't swung a club since October.

[smoova]

On 4/15/2024 at 10:37 PM, Gmcourtney said:

I’ve been meaning to ask… anyone here a member at Meridian anymore?  I played it once 5 or 6 years ago, with somebody that was on the forum here, but can’t remember his login.  

 

After last season of fighting the public tee time battle, and then this past weekend having a 5 hour round at the Meadows (1hr and 20 minutes to play 15-18! Four freaking holes!!), I’m seriously starting to consider joining somewhere.  Meridian is five minutes from my house, and I remember enjoying the course. 
 

Just curious how the tee sheet is on a typical weekend, and if it’s easy to slide into a group.  I don’t want to pay the $$$ and find out that the same old dudes who have been there for 20 years have every tee time from 7-noon held every Sat and Sun for the rest of eternity…

 

I joined Meridian last spring after taking about a 10 year semi-sabbatical from golf. Like you, I live ~5 minutes from the course, so I hit the range/practice area most weekday mornings on my way in to work. As mentioned, tee sheets are very busy Friday-Sunday, but there are always a few gaps for singles until you find a regular group. Also, weekend tee times before ~10 am are limited to primary members (no spouses/guests) and as the summer goes along, the demand for weekend morning tee times seems to simmer down. Despite the crowded tee sheet, in my ~70 rounds I have never played a round in over 4:10 and most are under 3:50, thanks in large measure to the 10 minute tee time gaps and a strong culture of walking and fast play. I looked at a bunch of different clubs and joined Meridian because it has everything I want (close to my house, younger/relaxed membership, very hard course, great conditions, lots of walkers, no houses, good range/practice area, nice grill/patio, good tournament lineup, etc) and nothing I don't need (pool, tennis, playgrounds, ballroom, etc). I freaking love the course ... although it routinely kicks my butt. Feel a little silly for waiting so long to join, but very glad I did. Happy to answer any other questions you have.

[thaar]

17 hours ago, pseudoswede said:

I'm so busy with life right now that I'm not sure I have the time/energy to play in any FRGC event through early June. First event is this Sunday at Lone Tree (closest course to my house on the schedule), but I've been voluntold I'm going to Boulder that day to help start moving my kid out of her dorm. I have family commitments on Thursday evenings at least through end of May that prevent me from playing in the Thursday night beer league at South Suburban.

 

It's probably for the best. I haven't swung a club since October.

Whoa, since October?!?!? That is unlike you for sure. Hopefully things calm down this summer and you can get back on the course more often. 

 

I ended up playing Sunday afternoon at 3pm at the Burb. Course was completely clear of snow, weather was somewhat nice, but it did get breezy for the second nine. Pace of play was a bit painful, but I still managed to get 18 in in just over 4:30. Tee ball was mediocre (9/14 - decent stat but I just didn't hit the driver very well), approach shots were decent (11 GIRs), short game was great, and putting was pretty good (34 putts with 2 3-putts; one 3-putt was really bad, but the other was 75ft+) for a 77 with two birdies. I lipped out one birdie putt from 3ft, which was frustrating after a great approach, and another birdie putt sat on the edge and somehow didn't drop. Overall, I was pretty pleased with my play aside from one bad hole where I took a really bad double. Felt good to get back into the 70s again though. Hoping I can have more of the same this Saturday for our men's club Chicago/Quota format. 

[CSURam_06]

Is anyone a member out at Blackstone/Black Bear?  Would love to ask some questions.

[mrhicksta]

What's up everyone! I'm Josh, and I settled in Colorado Springs last June after wrapping up a 23+ year career in the Navy. I took an unintentional layoff for over a year (long story), but now that I'm settled, I'm getting my behind back on the course. Naturally, I started by buying some new clubs. 🤣

 

That said, can anyone recommend a good club repair shop in the Springs? I know there's a Club Champion and I reached out to Tribe Golf, but I'm wondering if there are better options out there. I appreciate any feedback! 

[pseudoswede]

1 hour ago, mrhicksta said:

What's up everyone! I'm Josh, and I settled in Colorado Springs last June after wrapping up a 23+ year career in the Navy. I took an unintentional layoff for over a year (long story), but now that I'm settled, I'm getting my behind back on the course. Naturally, I started by buying some new clubs. 🤣

 

That said, can anyone recommend a good club repair shop in the Springs? I know there's a Club Champion and I reached out to Tribe Golf, but I'm wondering if there are better options out there. I appreciate any feedback! 

 

Welcome to the thread!

 

Unfortunately, Springs representation is pretty non-existent. Perhaps @golf4pj might be able to chime in as he plays in the Springs quite often.

[bobbyclampett!!]

Hey everyone, I’m playing in the CGA fourball on May 3. One round is at Legacy Ridge in Westminster and the other is at Todd Creek in Thornton. I’ve never played either and can probably only get one practice round in. Which of the two would you do a practice round at, ie which one has more surprises, requires more course knowledge vs. which one is more straight forward with everything out in front of you? Thanks!

[Dancin]

1 hour ago, bobbyclampett!! said:

Hey everyone, I’m playing in the CGA fourball on May 3. One round is at Legacy Ridge in Westminster and the other is at Todd Creek in Thornton. I’ve never played either and can probably only get one practice round in. Which of the two would you do a practice round at, ie which one has more surprises, requires more course knowledge vs. which one is more straight forward with everything out in front of you? Thanks!

Hmm. That's a tough call. They're pretty even in blind shots and things you need to be aware of. Neither is great for scoring low without help your first time. I think Legacy might have more greens that could screw you on getting a birdie if you are in the wrong spot. It's also a lot tighter than Todd Creek off the tee and has more holes where long hitters probably don't want to hit driver, so I would give a slight edge to needing to play Legacy.

@Joelness is a long ball hitter and I'd be interested to see what he would say.

[jda]

Both have a few semi clown holes and some blind shots.

 

At legacy, if you want to drive the green on 7, the hole is more to the left than people think.  13 needs to just to into the fairway back from the tree in the distance, but not too far back.  On 14, aim at the green roof in the distance.

 

At Todd, 7th hole can either driver over the hill, or just stay back of the mound. Green is very hard, so choose a number that you can get your second shot close.  14 is just tough without being there, so make it a 3 shot hole if you cannot see the green.  Most people lay too far back on 15, so get close the creek since the green is very narrow front to back and you need to stick it or the rear bunker is a nightmare.

[j4663535]

Legacy has some dumb holes like 6 and 13. There are a few holes you need to know your distance to lay up off the tee like 5 and 9. 

 

16 is one of the toughest par 3s around. You could spend an hour on that green trying different putts to different pins. You'll still probably 3 putt. 

Edited April 24 by j4663535

[CDM]

1 hour ago, bobbyclampett!! said:

Hey everyone, I’m playing in the CGA fourball on May 3. One round is at Legacy Ridge in Westminster and the other is at Todd Creek in Thornton. I’ve never played either and can probably only get one practice round in. Which of the two would you do a practice round at, ie which one has more surprises, requires more course knowledge vs. which one is more straight forward with everything out in front of you? Thanks!

 

5 minutes ago, Dancin said:

Hmm. That's a tough call. They're pretty even in blind shots and things you need to be aware of. Neither is great for scoring low without help your first time. I think Legacy might have more greens that could screw you on getting a birdie if you are in the wrong spot. It's also a lot tighter than Todd Creek off the tee and has more holes where long hitters probably don't want to hit driver, so I would give a slight edge to needing to play Legacy.

@Joelness is a long ball hitter and I'd be interested to see what he would say.

 

As @Dancin notes it is a tough call.  

 

They both have some holes that it helps if you play it once.  It is so close but I would flip it and IMHO I think Todd Creek plays straight out in front of you more.  There is one hole  (par 5 I recall) that has a hard dogleg at the end so many go for it  BUT if you dont know the right angle can really cost you as it is bline, also a par 4 too that is odd distance from tee to a bunker vs green (depending on tees played).   

 

I do agree the greens at Legacy are harder if you dont know them well it could mess you up vs Todd Creek.

 

I think Todd Creek would be easier personally based howI  view them, but it is tough.   

 

Just playing I like Legacy over Todd Creek to play by far.  Legacy is a better course IMHO but for a tourney and limited practice aspects. I think Todd would be easier after one practice round.    

 

*LOL this is tough.... Depending on your game, If distance vs others is concern.  Flip it.... Legacy as Dancin noted has a number of holes that will pull driver out of long hitters hands. I am not a long hitter per se but straight all day long for the most part.  Its just the greens are tougher so approach shots has to more accurate.   IE: IF you are a good iron  / distance control  player.. Legacy.... 

 

[Dancin]

I think CDM misunderstood the question as he is agreeing with me but somehow saying to flip the answer. 😂

 

And anyone saying Legacy is a better design than Todd Creek should be highly suspect  🤮. Arthur does get a pass on hole 6 as he wanted to reroute the creek, but they wouldn't let him and he was forced to make it the way it is, but 13 is probably all his abomination. Conditioning is generally better at Legacy, but the design has a lot more stupid than Todd Creek mainly because it was built when Arthur Hills likely was more involved than his lackeys. Whereas I doubt Arthur Hills did much work on Todd Creek as that came near the end of his career,  thus making it a much better design.

Edited April 25 by Dancin

[bobbyclampett!!]

Haha, dang, I knew you guys would be the perfect group to ask. I’m guessing Todd Creek is more open and a newer, wider layout on a bigger property, with Legacy being jammed into a smaller, more urban area? Seems like Legacy is the funkier, narrower, quirkier of the two and more could be gained by doing a practice round there. Thanks so much for the input everyone. 

[j4663535]

35 minutes ago, bobbyclampett!! said:

Haha, dang, I knew you guys would be the perfect group to ask. I’m guessing Todd Creek is more open and a newer, wider layout on a bigger property, with Legacy being jammed into a smaller, more urban area? Seems like Legacy is the funkier, narrower, quirkier of the two and more could be gained by doing a practice round there. Thanks so much for the input everyone. 

 

This whole time I had Thorncreek in my head instead of Todd Creek for some reason. Yea, Todd Creek is much more open and laid out in front of you. It still runs through a residential area and probably covers a similar acreage as Legacy. 

 

More trees on Legacy and it that's the main reason it plays tighter.

 

Edited April 25 by j4663535

[Joelness]

On 4/22/2024 at 8:17 AM, CDM said:

Anyone play yesterday?  I really wanted too, but had wife commitments I made 🙃

 

It seemed pretty decent by mid/late afternoon that could play depending on location. 

 

Sorry for the late notice but Longmont has gotten a lot less than ya'll all winter. It all melted Saturday and Sunday was open and fantastic at Fox. Our greens are mean rn as they are super-firm 12's. Man it's hard

 

On 4/22/2024 at 10:54 AM, TheKrushh said:

Also, our club went to 12 month lows for all the events this year which will be interesting to see if it keeps some of the perennial baggers out of their normal shenanigans.

 

I LOVE this. Ultimately it will weed out a lot of baggers as mentioned. I don't think it really makes a huge difference outside of that except that it compresses the overall range of the handicaps the majority of the time. I bounced around from a +0.1 to a +4.0 so that's what I will play to in the Fox Hunt (M/G). That means I'm losing at most four shots whereas I think guys in the 9-20 range could lose 6-7.

 

Not a huge difference but the only time I played match play against @Dancin at a full cap I think he got me 4&3 or something at his track.

Edited April 25 by Joelness

[Joelness]

5 hours ago, bobbyclampett!! said:

Hey everyone, I’m playing in the CGA fourball on May 3. One round is at Legacy Ridge in Westminster and the other is at Todd Creek in Thornton. I’ve never played either and can probably only get one practice round in. Which of the two would you do a practice round at, ie which one has more surprises, requires more course knowledge vs. which one is more straight forward with everything out in front of you? Thanks!

 

I don't think it's a tough call. It's hands-down Legacy. There are some wonky tee shots that not knowing where to play can easily cost one or two shots. @jda was first and caught a lot of it but missed the biggest one mentioned later on.... 6. If you are in the left half of that fairway its hard, if you're on the top shelf left fairway it's basically a chip-out, dumbest hole ever. Last year I landed one on the bottom fairway and it bounced hard and was 1 ft short of the penalty area in the rough. Thank god it was on the right side of the fairway.

 

Other than that, you can figure out most of them without an explanation.

 

If you want a quickie (Legacy): Stay left on 1, I hit a 250 shot on 5, 6 explained, 7 yes the green is left, but you can miss it a mile right and as long as you made good contact you're fine. 9 you cannot hit it through the fairway, 10 is drive-able but miss left, 11 is just plain wonky, 13 I aim for the "tallest" part of the fairway and hit a 275, 14 right edge of stadium and can miss right, 16 is dumb and I would rather be on the same half of the pin or miss the green on that side as the bunker shot is easier than a putt from the wrong half, 18 fwy gets real skinny where my driver lands so I started hitting 3w.

 

There are a couple weird ones at Todd but: 1. They're all in front of you and, 2. They don't cost you a shot if you play a good ball where you think you should, it's just maybe in the rough. The only exception is going for it on 14 in 2. Either way though, you'll have to get on top of the hill to figure out a line every time anyway so a practice round tells you nothing.

Edited April 25 by Joelness

[Gmcourtney]

On 4/22/2024 at 3:50 PM, smoova said:

I joined Meridian last spring after taking about a 10 year semi-sabbatical from golf. Like you, I live ~5 minutes from the course, so I hit the range/practice area most weekday mornings on my way in to work. As mentioned, tee sheets are very busy Friday-Sunday, but there are always a few gaps for singles until you find a regular group. Also, weekend tee times before ~10 am are limited to primary members (no spouses/guests) and as the summer goes along, the demand for weekend morning tee times seems to simmer down. Despite the crowded tee sheet, in my ~70 rounds I have never played a round in over 4:10 and most are under 3:50, thanks in large measure to the 10 minute tee time gaps and a strong culture of walking and fast play. I looked at a bunch of different clubs and joined Meridian because it has everything I want (close to my house, younger/relaxed membership, very hard course, great conditions, lots of walkers, no houses, good range/practice area, nice grill/patio, good tournament lineup, etc) and nothing I don't need (pool, tennis, playgrounds, ballroom, etc). I freaking love the course ... although it routinely kicks my butt. Feel a little silly for waiting so long to join, but very glad I did. Happy to answer any other questions you have.

Thanks for the info… that’s exactly the kind of thing I’m looking for.  I may send you a DM with some more questions later. 
 

4 hour rounds. Walking culture.  Golf only. That’s exactly up my alley.  Like I said, I have played it once and remember enjoying the round. 
 

I’ve been in this house for 8 years, and always wished I could join just because of proximity. It makes me a little sick to think back in 2016-2018 they used to offer join for the summer with zero initiation deals. Back then, with a new house and making less money, it just wasn’t in the cards.
 

Now, I’ve just got to decide how much it’s worth to me. My wife doesn’t play, and I have no kids, so it’s purely a “me” luxury.  I know you can’t ever really justify a club on a “cost per round” basis… it’s really paying for access, convenience, etc.  but at around 20-25 rounds per year, it’s a pretty huge jump in “golf budget” compared to what I spend now…

[Joelness]

9 minutes ago, Gmcourtney said:

Now, I’ve just got to decide how much it’s worth to me. My wife doesn’t play, and I have no kids, so it’s purely a “me” luxury.  I know you can’t ever really justify a club on a “cost per round” basis… it’s really paying for access, convenience, etc.  but at around 20-25 rounds per year, it’s a pretty huge jump in “golf budget” compared to what I spend now…

 

One thing to keep in mind, when you're already pre-paid that 20-25 tends to jump to 30-45 real fast

[pseudoswede]

24 minutes ago, Gmcourtney said:

I know you can’t ever really justify a club on a “cost per round” basis… it’s really paying for access, convenience, etc.  but at around 20-25 rounds per year, it’s a pretty huge jump in “golf budget” compared to what I spend now…

 

I'll always look at it on a cost-per-round basis (hence why I'll probably never join a club), but at least if you don't have time for a full round, their range and short-game area is pretty darn sweet. Plus, no one plays their 3-hole short course. Play a different ball from each tee box.

 

Back in the days (pre-kids) when they offered range memberships for $450, I would go there in the morning on the way to work to hit balls for 30 minutes; then again on the way home from work for 30-60 minutes. I went from mid-teens to single digit in no time.