Any Golfers Here?

[snackdaddy]

First, let me say I ain't too good at it. Yet. For 30 years my first love was fast pitch softball. But now there are no more teams around here. Around here its a sport that has gone by way of the dinosaur. Seems like no one want to take the time to learn the game and everyone plays slow pitch. Its our instant gratification society.

So now my new love is golf. I have a long ways to go. I did play some 20 years ago. But I developed such a bad slice I couldn't get rid of I lost interest and stuck with the fast pitch. Now I'm trying it again. One thing I learned is, like anything else you gotta practice. Nothing is more frustrating that hitting a nice drive, sitting in the middle of the fairway, you pull out your 150 yard iron and chunk it, squib it, whatever. Now your hitting your 3rd shot from over 100 yards. No guarantee you hit the green from there. Two putt double bogey or even triple if it takes more shots to get on the green. Kinda puts a damper on things if that happens on the first hole.

But I'm an ultra competitive guy. I will practice, practice and practice some more till I get rid of those mishits. I also noticed I'm a power swinger. Probably from all those years of softball. And I noticed a 12 degree driver one inch shorter gives me more control. I got rid of the slice, so my drives are better. And the extra loft doesn't give me less yardage, and I hit more fairways. But I still can't break 90 because of those mishits.

So who golfs and what kind of handicap do you have? I would be a high handicapper. But I'm working on it. I don't ask for much. Just bogey golf is good enough for me right now. I'm a couple years from retirement. State retirement allows me to retire at 55. So golf will be my hobby.

 

[RamFan503]

I chase a little white ball around the grass and look for it in creeks and ponds. Does that count?

My handicap? Trees, sand, tall grass, water, slices, downhill putts. Too many to mention. Generally about low to mid 90s though.

 

[IowaRam]

The wife and I do , although , not a whole lot , we usually go two or three times during the summer , but it usually takes another couple to ask us along

 

[RhodyRams]

my backswing is my handicap !!!

I usually shoot in the low to mid 90's (best round was a 84) but since I went to work for myself, it seems I get out there less and less every year. This past summer I played 3 nine hole rounds (broke 50 each time tho )

Have thought about joining a league this spring, force myself to get out there more often

 

[rhinobean]

Used to be a bogey golfer but don't like practicing so my games more double bogey than not! 2nd shot is where it's at for sure! Consistent tempo/rhythm seems to be my down fall! Couple times a year I find it but most of the time not! Got to enjoy the small victories and let the bad shots go or you won't enjoy the game!

 

[snackdaddy]

Used to be a bogey golfer but don't like practicing so my games more double bogey than not! 2nd shot is where it's at for sure! Consistent tempo/rhythm seems to be my down fall! Couple times a year I find it but most of the time not! Got to enjoy the small victories and let the bad shots go or you won't enjoy the game!

Exactly. No matter how bad things are going you gotta have fun doing it. Otherwise, there's no point in going out there. I could be having a terrible day double bogeys, triples, but there's always that one shot that brings me back. Maybe its the 280 yard drive down the middle of the fairway or that shot that lands less than ten foot from the cup from over 100 yards.

I'm one of those determined guys. I will practice, practice and practice some more to get it right. Right now its almost dark when I get home from work. I go out to the range every weekend for now. When the time changes I'll be out there during the week too. Fortunately I live in an area where weather isn't preventing me going out to play or practice aside from the occasional rain. Which ain't happening much these days.

I'll say this, its much easier hitting a 75mph softball from 46 feet or a 90mph baseball from 60 feet than hitting that little white ball sitting there looking up at you.

 

[rhinobean]

The wife and I do , although , not a whole lot , we usually go two or three times during the summer , but it usually takes another couple to ask us along

I get Iowa way every year for golf in Waterloo! Have played elsewhere in the state like Ames and IA City and found the courses to be good, greens wise. Must be the soil!

 

[Dodgersrf]

I haven't played but maybe once or twice since my kids were born 3 years ago.
Also opened a Day Spa for the misses. She works every weekend, leaving me without the time to play.

Great game. The fun part is the difficulty of it. It's you vs the course.

My handicap was around 15 before I stopped playing regularly. Just when I was starting to improve.

I'll get back into it eventually. Love playing the game. How could you not love playing a sport that you can drink beer while playing?

 

[IowaRam]

I get Iowa way every year for golf in Waterloo! Have played elsewhere in the state like Ames and IA City and found the courses to be good, greens wise. Must be the soil!

We live up in the NW corner of the state near Lake Okoboji along the Minnesota border , and there must be at least 30 golf courses within a 30 minute drive from where we live and most of them are pretty nice

 

[RamFan503]

Got to enjoy the small victories and let the bad shots go or you won't enjoy the game!

If it weren't for bad shots I'd have no game some days. Still, as they say, the worst day golfing is still better than working. I just like to test that statement sometimes.

 

[Dodgersrf]

If it weren't for bad shots I'd have no game some days. Still, as they say, the worst day golfing is still better than working. I just like to test that statement sometimes.

Yeah.
Some days it's easier to count beers rather than strokes.

 

[rhinobean]

We live up in the NW corner of the state near Lake Okoboji along the Minnesota border , and there must be at least 30 golf courses within a 30 minute drive from where we live and most of them are pretty nice

My buddy in Waterloo once told me that IA has the 3rd most golf courses in the states. I believe him as it seems every town has at least 1!

 

[RhodyRams]

My buddy in Waterloo once told me that IA has the 3rd most golf courses in the states. I believe him as it seems every town has at least 1!

That is something I truly cannot believe....my list would be

Cali
Florida
Arizona
South Carolina.
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Rhode Island ( know for a fact that there are 51 course here...have played about 30 of em)
Alaska

 

[snackdaddy]

If it weren't for bad shots I'd have no game some days. Still, as they say, the worst day golfing is still better than working. I just like to test that statement sometimes.

When I explain golf lingo to non golfers I tell them hitting to the right is called a slice. Hitting to the left is called a hook. Hitting down the middle is called a miracle. No I know whey they call it a stroke. You feel like you're about to have one when trying to hit out of a sand trap.

But I ain't giving up. I'm practicing every chance I get. Today its raining all day so I'm putting indoors. Next month when the time changes and days are later I'll go down to a school after work a couple times after work and practice chipping. Then I'll hit the range on Saturday and play on Sundays now that football is over.

When I retire I'm gonna sign up for this program where for 75 bucks a month I get unlimited golf on weekdays. I have a couple friends that are already retired and doing that. I'll be joining them in two years.

 

[RamFan503]

Yeah.
Some days it's easier to count beers rather than strokes.

Some days?

 

[Dodgersrf]

Some days?

Most days.

 

[rhinobean]

That is something I truly cannot believe....my list would be

Cali
Florida
Arizona
South Carolina.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Rhode Island ( know for a fact that there are 51 course here...have played about 30 of em)
Alaska

I told him I didn't think so and he said it was Texas, FL then IA. Said it was because there are so many 9 hole courses! I know I'll never get to most of them! Gonna play 2 in St. Augustine this week with the bro-in law! Want to go to Sawgrass and see the island green while down there! Maybe the hall of fame if there's time!

 

[snackdaddy]

Pebble Beach and Spyglass are just a couple hours from my home. Those two courses are on my bucket list. But I gotta work on my game so I don't embarrass myself. I don't ask for much. Just hit enough fairways and avoid the bad mishits. I'm working on it. I figure if I practice enough I'll develop the muscle memory you need to keep duplicating shots.

There are 3 courses less than 30 minutes from me around here that are par 72's around 6500-6800 yards from the white tees. The longest course seems to be the easiest. Not as many trees or as much water. The toughest is the one with huge, mature eucalyptus trees and pines. Distance is not as much an issue for me as accuracy. I can hit over 250 yards pretty much any time I want to. But who knows where its going? Its still a work in progress.

 

[fearsomefour]

I play occasionally, just often enough to stay terrible.
My wife plays a lot and is pretty good for a weekend golfer.
She even met Phil Mickelson at Torrey Pines and managed to shoot in the 80s at Torrey.
One thing I love about her is she never cuts on her score....she scores it honestly.

 

[RhodyRams]

@snackdaddy when I first started golfing about 13 years ago, I joined a bar league with a bunch of friends (which is why I started golf) as a sub, filling in whenever needed, or just grabbing the last tee time with the 3 other subs. My first week I played with a retired teacher, Whitey, who was about 70 with a 4 handicap. He carried a 3 wood,5 iron,wedge and putter...thats it. He hit every club str8 down the middle 100-200 yards and he told me that day, "don't worry about distance, worry about placement. It takes at least 2 good shots to make up for 1 bad shot into the woods. Keep it in the middle, and you will keep it under 100"