Holla from Cali

[shipseki]

(Greetings from Los Angeles, California)

Hello everyone. I currently reside in Los Angeles, although I was born and raised near Sacramento. My official occupation is an undergraduate student at UCLA. Currently going for a B.S. biochemistry :beruo: with hopes of applying for medical school the following year :russian_roulette:

As for my golf history, I've always remembered my parents and grandparents playing golf ever since I was about 3 or so. Remembered them watching golf channel religiously with old names (at least for my times... I'm a 90s kid lol) like Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo ringing in the back of my 4-year old mind without realizing how important these guys were in the late 80s and early 90s. I kinda think this is a conspiracy on my family's part to brainwash me to get involved in golf, like a stereotypical Korean... :tongue:


Since I was 4 until I was around 7, I tagged along with my parents/grandparents with my own set of junior clubs, just wacking a white/yellow/orange ball around. Being a deviant child I was, I would always aim for the bunkers (because I LOVED bunker shots back then, not so much now.... oh how times have changed ;)), and whenever I saw water, I would attempt to skip the ball across the pond. Some courses we played back then include Arcade Creek, Ancil Hoffman, Dry Creek, Rancho Cordova, Bing Maloney, Champions, and the list goes on. Hope for some sactown golfWRXers recognize those places :clapping:

Ironically, I decided to "quit" when I turned 8. I dunno what led me to that decision, but in retrospect I felt that was a totally retarded decision (coulda shoulda woulda right?) Who knows, if I dedicated myself and became a more mature person/player, I would have been the next Patrick Cantlay... but I digress....

In any case, I decided to (re)take up golf seriously during the summer 2009. I figured, if I'm too short to play basketball, too slow to play soccer, and too weak to play baseball, I could... oh, hit a small dimpled white ball with short sticks, right? Right.... hahahaha.

Little did I know that I would be up for a borderline-pathological obsession with golf.

Specs/stats:

I own a set of Taylormade r7 irons (5i-A), Taylormade Burner driver (10.5, 2009 model), Ping putter (forgot what specific model), King Cobra baffler 4 hybrid, Mizuno MP-60 5 wood, and 2 Titelist Vokey c-c wedges (56 and 60 degrees, bounce 11 and 7 respectively).

Favorite club is my 60 wedge :man_in_love:. I got it for my 21st birthday and it's done wonders for my short game. However I tend to use it TOO much, like have a 40ft chip that's better suited with my gap or pitching wedge but still itching for that flop shot.

Least favorite club? Tie between driver and putter. Driver is a blessing and curse, especially when I split the fairway 270-280 yards courtesy of a short 135 lbs 5'5" Asian :bb: (although my machoness is put to shame by the majority of WRXers who consistenly claim to have SS of 120+ ). My drives normally carry 240 yards with anywhere between 5-40 yards of roll with my total average being about 250-255 yds. I have yet to bomb a 300-yarder. SS is approximately 95, and I have moderately high ball spin rate.


My putting is hella streaky. Some days I will drain crucial par-saving 30 footers (record is 90 ft), other days I will 3 putt from the said distance. Have been seriously debating a belly putter but I feel a bit dishonest about using something that anchors to my body...:beee: I would say that my average putt per round is in the low 30s, which is high considering that my GIR percentage is around 25-35% :russian_roulette:. Means my short game needs A LOT of work, more than I'd like to admit hahaha.


My handicap index is 13.6, according to my Android golf app. ( I don't have an official hcp.) I shoot in the mid to high 80s, hate mulligans and count every stroke. Sometimes I give myself "second" shots and do-overs just to see if my mistake was physical or mental, if the course isn't crowded (and with my playing partners' permission) but I always play my 1st shot. Just part of my mentality in gauging my progress as objectively and honestly as possible.

I have yet to break 80. Lowest 18 is 83 (shot 11 over after only about 2 months of playing during summer of 2009... total fluke, and legit 83 is 12 over at Rancho Park just a few months ago) Lowest 9 is 39. Had 3 birdies, 2 bogeys, and 1 double coming into the back 9 18th. Striped a 265 drive with 155 yd to go. Pin tucked in the back of the green protected by bunkers, REALLY rushed my swing and top-blocked my 7 iron shot right to the water. Made double bogey. Had I calmed down and stuck it pin and made birdie, I would have shot even 36 (on the back nine, since I shot 46 on the front LOL).

Goals? Have a family in my early 30s, make $400,000/year as an anesthesiologist, own a Porsche 911 GT2, and be a member of country club. I would love to be a plus-handicap and participate in amateur tournaments, but realistically, I would be elated if I had a low single hcp (considering the long road ahead into a career of medicine)


Sorry for the super-long rant! I've been procrastinating on a 25 page biochem research paper and this was a good digression

[MrParr1Noid]

shipseki,

 

Welcome, just to let you know that your GolfWRX prerequisite, while pursuing a grad degree, calls for posting something worthwhile, knowledgeable, and without spelling errors at least once per week...And "no" bragging about how far you can hit your driver...

 

Good to have you as a member, now get back to studying. . Oh, and .