Tell us about your game today...

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As one of the more popular threads on the dark side, a place to tell us about your latest game

Yes Davie it was designated as a qualifier off the yellows. SSS for the whites is 73 and for the yellows 71

Well finally got our game in today at Woolston Manor that had been cancelled a couple of times before Christmas because of the poor weather.

The fairways were reasonable considering the recent conditions and the greens not too bad but painfully slow. Everywhere else was just a complete quagmire. The amount of courses now that stay open (my own included) when they really should be closed is an indication of how desperately the revenue is needed.

Putted poorly on the front nine and was 7 over at the turn, but got the pace of the greens better on the back and only dropped 2 more shots to finish with an 81 and 32 points. Enjoyed the walk and the fresh air and a day out of the office during the week is always a bonus.

15 holes open only today and the rest were bit of a mudbath. At least the greens had been hand cut this week so they were reasonable.

Scored 27 points but it was bloody freezing and to be honest I wasn't sorry when we had finished.

Sounds like so much fun Blue, but least you're playing still.

Glad you got your game in at Woolston Manor.

Cheers Grumps, I shouldn't complain, not when you have got to wait until April for a game!

It was posted on Facebook that we're opening in April 1. How stupid is that? It's a Monday, not even a holiday Monday for us. Why not look to open on March 29? If they don't they're missing a trick and will lose money to all the other courses that open for Easter.

Hopefully I'll be able to get a game somewhere a couple of weeks before that.

Played today and after the chat on the other thread about quals/non-quals in winter, today the weather was good enough to keep it a qual (off the yellows)

35 pts for me (CSS 36) so I was pretty happy and while out of the money was something like =10th place out of a field of 80-90 people

Nothing spectacular, just very steady. Dropped shots on the first two holes of both nines but got them back fairly quickly each time - the rest was just a succession of 2 pointers - which I'm not going to complain about!

Very cold out there but as long as you were prepared for it, you couldn't have wished for a better day on the course in January. Looking forward to the ball flying a bit further when it warms up though - one par 3 only playing about 140 yards and all four of us (from 5 h/c to 22) underclubbed it even though at least 2 of the shots looked all over the flag

The comp was won by "only" 40 pts (SSS 37, CSS 36) which quite surprised me given a large field and fairly benign conditions (apart from the cold)

No qualifiers for us at all between the end of October and the beginning of April so mostly just bounce games with the lads.

Last weekend was a bit of a mixed bag. Saturday started with a grand total of 1 point in the first 3 holes but recovered reasonable well to finish with a steady 34 points. Well out of the money but the boy did pick up a tenner in his first outing with the 'grown-ups' so he was well happy. Sunday was much better; only 2 over gross on the front nine with no birdies and walked off the 15th with 37 points, no one-pointers and no sixes so looking like 43 points minimum with an easy par 5 followed by two shot holes. Three bad drives later led to 3 sixes to finish with 40 points, not bad but could and should have been so much better.

This week was not as good, couldn't find a swing from anywhere until the 16th but still ended up with 30 points which wasn't disasterous I guess but the worst I have scored since the end of November.

J

Much to my surprise I actually got nine holes in today

On Friday we got an email from the club saying that they'd made the decision that Saturday would be closed and that there was only a slim chance of Sunday being open...

I already had a tee time booked for Sunday but talking to my regular playing partner on Saturday we pretty much decided we would cancel the tee time - yet despite what they'd said, the course was actually open Saturday after a very mild Friday night. Saturday night/early Sunday morning brought more rain though and today it was only the back nine open (with two temps) but we took the chance to get out there anyway

VERY wet underfoot but not a bad day to be out - at least it blew the cobwebs away from a rather raucous Saturday night in the pub. Didn't play particularly well though scored well on a couple of holes I normally find difficult! Just nice to get out again though

Played at Felixstowe Ferry today, a bit bracing on the Suffolk coast this morning but the course was in excellent condition considering the recent weather conditions.

Very rusty at the start after not having swung a club for three weeks and only had 8 points after 7 holes but played reasonable after that and finished with a gross 84 for 29 points. It was a pleasure to be out there and quite invigorating being right next to the sea. Booked up to play there again next Saturday morning, although my Essex course is now open it is a bit of a mud-bath at the moment.

Captains' Drive-In today (postponed from two weeks ago because of snow) and a totally surprising but pleasing result!

Shotgun start and teams of 4. Men off the Yellows with 2 scores to count on each hole and (much to my amazement) full handicap!

Though it was very cold and windy, and quite wet underfoot, with those rules I thought it would be a score in the mid/high 90s that would win it and when we came in with 93 points I thought it was more than respectable but probably just falling short of the top prize.

As it was we won by 7 points from the second place! A really good team with a good mix of abilities - a 7 handicapper who IMO is very dangerous off that h/c, a 13 who blows hot and cold, the lady in our group was off 16 and because of the rules was getting 3 courtesy equalization shots - and me off 22. As it happened we just gelled very well - I scored well on shot holes and had a few other good holes - when I didn't play so well the others were more than capable of making up for it and I'm not sure any of us played better or worse than anyone else overall (though as I said the 7 h.c looks very dangerous off that h.c)

Great start to the year though and £50 in my pro-shop account! :D Probably the biggest comp I've ever won there or been part of

I hope you were wearing your somberro when you were collecting your prize Well done on a nice start to the New Year

Forgot to say there was one hole where something happened that none of us had seen before ... a short par 4 with almost 90 degree dogleg left. A tough hole even so for higher handicaps as the drive has trees on one side and water on the other - then if you reach the dogleg it's only a short flick to the green but over a large pond. Easy for better players as it's only a 4 iron to the dogleg and the pond doesn't intimidate them as much!

Anyway we all got a drive in play and it was me to play first. Stuck it to about 12 foot to applause. All three got inside my ball incuding the low handicap who wasn't getting a stroke on that hole nearly holing it!

Then I rolled in the 12 footer and they all followed for 4 birdies! (3 x 4 pts and one 3pt) .. only two scores counted but we all had to hole out just for the pleasure of it! None of us had ever seen 4 birdies on the same hole before

Off to The Carrick tomorrow, the best £29 deal out there.

First board comp of the year today (the only one to be held in winter months though it felt more like Spring out there today)

Early fog lifted quickly and it was a delight to be out there - a 4BBB pairs Stableford come off whites (though the whites were more like the yellow tees it must be said) and 3/4 handicap - my partner (random draw) didn't have a very good day but we still came home with 38pts which I guess is respectable

Happy with my own game though - even in 4BBB comps I like to keep an approximate score for myself in my head (off full h.c as that is the only way I feel I can judge myself) - obviously on a 4BBB there were holes I didn't finish when my partner had already secured points but I estimated myself at 38 pts off full so not too unhappy. A nice 2 on 17 got me a share of the 2's pot which probably just about covered my fiver entry fee so all in all a good day

Got a day off work on Thursday for a friendly bounce game and then next round of the winter foursomes next Saturday (we'll have to be on form playing a father/son pair off 4 and 11 but at least we'll be getting LOTS of shots!)

9 holes played this afternoon - had the best of the weather, my brother was playing in short sleeves after the 3rd hole! Driving and putting was not too bad, considering I haven't picked up a club for 6 months, but need to work on getting the feel back in the short game. Visited several bunkers, and actually played sideways out of one - remembering the recent thread on here!

First game in c. 5 months today... Had a little away day to Aberdour for my Dad's b'day. They have obviously had a really wet winter in Fife as the course wasn't in as good a shape as I recalled from when we were last there a couple of years ago.

Anyway, I am determined to improve a lot this year and have decided to grip down the club and play (what are to me anyway) 3/4 shots to improve my control. I played ok after the lay off and the strategy looks like it can work for me. I made a good birdie and ought to have had another 2 or 3. My chipping and wedging honked though... but I expected it would as without regular play/practice it can only deteriorate. I have lined up another 18 holes for tomorrow to help get me back into the swing of things.

first few greens at aberdour are pretty testing if i remember correctly!

Day off work today for a cheeky little bounce game but damn it was cold! Didn't play too well unfortunately but the plus side was I took a look at a Titleist 21 degree hybrid in the pro shop beforehand and took it out for a test drive. £130 quid reduced to £50 (I think it was ex-demo) and really got on well with it - I've always struggled with hybrids before - so payed for it after the game with a voucher I had for a recent team event win

When I got back to the pro shop and gave over the voucher they tried to find a head cover for it - couldn't find one and said they'd try to get one for me - but in the meantime the young assistant pro who was most apologetic reached into his bag (he's just played some comp at wentworth) and pulled out 3 Pro-V1s and gave them to me instead!

scarpa wrote:first few greens at aberdour are pretty testing if i remember correctly!

Yeah they are a good test. Two mid-long iron approach par 3s... the first with beach, bushes and rocks on three sides, the second has beach along the left hand side and is cut into a bank. They must be hellish into a strong wind.

Bowed out of the winter 4-somes KO today

Played a good father/son pairing and I'd forgotten the son was actually last year's club champion! Neither me nor my partner really did ourselves justice though I'm sure the opponents could have played better too. Lost on the 16th and that was probably a fair reflection

Plus point is that my new wee hybrid is still behaving well - after years of not getting along with them I think I'm now a convert

i played in their open a few years ago. first tee is a bit of a pressure cooker with about 20 guys hanging around the tee, and a good few right above you peering out of the club house windows. i stuck a solid 8 iron into the heart of both the first two greens and walked off both with 4s

scarpa wrote:i played in their open a few years ago. first tee is a bit of a pressure cooker with about 20 guys hanging around the tee, and a good few right above you peering out of the club house windows. i stuck a solid 8 iron into the heart of both the first two greens and walked off both with 4s

Yeah that 1st must be unforgiving in a comp and a total nightmare into a strong wind! 2 x 3 putts on the first two holes at an away event is a sure sign that their practice green is not a fair likeness with their actual greens. That would be my excuse anyway!

Less than 4 weeks to the golf course opens

Winter League today better ball pairs, first game for me for over two weeks. Surprisingly dry underfoot and enjoyed being out there.

Some of our golf was a bit dodgy on the front nine but we were level par on the back and finished with 37 points. There was a carp show at the resort today and the place was heaving with fisherman...I thought we had a lot of gear for our sport!

How's the course holding up Blue? Have you got the other course/holes open yet?

Mixed feelings about the game today. One of those "coulda, shoulda" days

First comp of the year off the whites (the winter comps have all been yellow tee starts) and there will be some arguments at the club over whether it should have been a qualifier or not. The course for the day was certainly long enough with all the white tees relatively close to the stones, but after a hard overnight frost the greens staff chose to put us on frost greens (every pin on the proper green but within a yard or two of the front or back). Some thought this unfair or not correct according to CONGU rules (anyone know?)

Though the course played long, I found it to be the first game this year where the ball actually flew a little longer (or maybe I was just hitting it better) - and ended up with 35 pts which I was very happy with considering it was the first off the whites for the year

Downside was I missed 4 or 5 putts from 3 foot or less - so left me wondering what it could have been. Can't blame the greens - I just got yippy on short ones (sank a couple of nice 12-15 footers to even things up a bit)

Within the buffer zone for me so don't really care if it was a qualie or not, but anyone know what CONGU says about these so-called "frost greens"?

If they're all on the actual green you're playing the proper measured course so I don't think there is anything to say that it shouldn't be a qualifier.

There's no rules as such as to where holes should or shouldn't be placed. There are guidelines as to the placement such as to factor in the type of shot being played into the green. Longer clubs mean the pin should be further back and closer to the centre and with shorter clubs it can be closer to the edges.

http://www.randa.org/en/Rules-and-Amateur-Status/Guidance-on-Running-a-Competition.aspx?chapter=4&section=2

Yes Grumps, back on the main course now. All bunkers filled with new sand and two new tees constructed to create a longer carry over the lakes.

Next Saturday the management are hosting a competition for the members as a thank you for the course being closed. Coffee on arrival, refreshments on the course and food and prizes afterwards all complimentary. 108 members have entered which is the maximum for a shot-gun start.

It had a real feel that the new season is just about to start out there today.

Interesting point about the frost greens Davie. I don't know the answer but much as it pains me to say it, the reply given by Grumps seems quite logical.

Well, thanks for the vote of confidence there Blue

Good to hear the course seems to be coming back well. Will the new tees create different angles or is it just about extra length? Sounds like next Saturday is opening day as such, good luck mate.

No problem Grumps

The idea is to create different angles across the lakes so the player can take on the risk/reward challenge. Sounds like a cunning ploy to increase the sale of golf balls in the pro shop to me!

Thanks for the link Grumps - kinda confirmed what I thought but I wasn't sure.

I thought there were rules about not having pins TOO close to the edge of the green but maybe these are guidelines only

Results have been published on the website so I guess common sense prevailed

Course was open today despite the heavy rainfall in the last 36 hours. It was very wet underfoot though with plenty of casual water and some bunkers flooded. An enjoyable day for the management competition with over 100 playing and we were well looked after with an excellent complimentary meal at the finish.

My golf was poor on the front 9 with a couple of blobs and only mustered 12 points. Played better on the back, dropping only 1 shot for 20 points and a total of 32.

Playing again in the morning in the winter league, weather permitting. Everything is arranged and organised now for Mum's funeral which is on Monday, so I am quite glad to have a weekend of golf to take my mind off it a bit.

Winter league postponed, a quarter inch of snow on the ground here this morning!

Sorry Blue, we had that storm Thursday into Friday. Warm temperatures for us at the moment, into the high 50s. There's a few courses south if us that are open already. So I'll be looking to hit some balls soon and then get a round in somewhere in two weeks time. All in preparation for the season opening on Good Friday.

Played just a bounce game this weekend and while it was very wet underfoot the course was fully open and apart from playing very long was in surprisingly good condition apart from a couple of holes that always get very waterlogged

Greens were a little disappointing as they'd been "mini-spiked" and I guess as it was so wet they couldn't be rolled afterwards but it wasn't too bad

Played match-play against my regular partner and he beat me on the 17th with a great up-and-down when I thought I was going to take it up the last. Didn't think either of us played that well but when we added up approximate pts afterwards I was estimated 30 pts and he was 32 so not TOO bad

Next weekend sees the "home internationals" always coinciding with the last weekend of the 6N rugby - for a few hours at least I will be Scottish (thanks to a Scottish grandmother - and I know I'd never get into the over-subscribed England team) - then back to the clubhouse afterwards for the traditional meal of Steak and Guinness pie (English and Irish) with neaps and tatties (Scottish) and leaks (Welsh) - really looking forward to it apart from being drawn first off at 7:58! These days I prefer my early starts around 10:30

Davie consider yourself unmasked as a non-scot...it's definitely 'neeps'
just sayin'

Busted!

Well as previously stated today was the Home Nations international with me representing Scotland and sadly the weather did its best to spoil what is always a great day. Heavy rain all night and into this morning but we pitched up at the course at around 7:15 for our 8am tee-time to lead off. Course inspection at 7:30 and really if it wasn't for the fact that over 100 people had turned up already, plus there was catering and prizes to consider, it should have been called off - however the club management and organizer decided that we should try to get some golf played and so we played 9 holes 4BBB Stableford with teeing up EVERYWHERE to protect the course (and give us some sort of chance of getting a cleaner strike!)

Wales took the team and individual honours and "we" finished tied with Ireland for 2nd place - 17 pts for me and my partner which I was quite pleased with considering the conditions (though it was helped by a cheeky little chip in for 4 pts on the 7th)

Extremely wet conditions on the first couple of holes which are always the worst affected, plus the rain never really stopped and the greens were starting to flood - 9 holes was the right choice (no one wanted to go on anymore!)

Rather strange though with such an early finish to be sat down to the traditional "lunch" at 11am!

Stableford for tomorrow already cancelled - can't say I'm sorry seeing how it is out there! Nice of them to make an early decision for a change!

Our last winter league round tomorrow (not that I was due to be playing) already cancelled as well. Out of 6 rounds and 2 reserve dates we only played 4 with 4 cancelled due to course closure because of the weather. Got to be the worst winter for golf that I can ever remember.

Course closed here as well due to best part of a foot of snow. This time last year we were playing in shorts!

Never mind though, British Summer Time starts next weekend

No sky satellite signal tonight because of the weather, so I can't even watch the golf from Orlando!

No golf from Orlando because of the weather, so you're not missing anything!

For the first time in over 4 months I get to tell you about my game today. We were first off at just after 8:30 due to a slight frost delay. The weather was pretty cool but the wind made it feel quite chilly at times. I hit a fairly solid opening drive, I followed that up with a nice six iron into the green and walked of with a two putt par despite the hollow tined green.

I played fairly solidly with a loose shot on 4 ending in the wetlands or, as we loving call it, the crap. I was able to play out onto the green and my bogey streak continued. I was on in regulation on 5 and FOUR putted thanks to the aeration holes. I missed another par putt this time of about 2 feet on 6 due to a crap roll, bounce, swerve, you get the general idea. I finally managed another par on 7 and followed it up with another on 8. 9 was relatively solid and I made the turn in 42.

I hit two great shots into 10 and had an eagle putt from the front of the green. I was a little short but an easy 1 foot tap in. Yeah, right, another lovely swerve sent the putt off line at almost 90 degrees. The bogey train rolled back into town for 11 and 12. 13 was playing into a strong wind and the second shot is played up a steep hill into a plateaued green at the top. I hit a beautiful 5 iron onto the green and two putted from a mile away.

I made back to back pars at the two par 3s including a nice sand save. On 16 I ended up out of position after my tee shot went through the dog leg. After getting myself back in play I failed to align myself properly so I missed the green left. Cursing this stupid mental error I failed to get up and down from around the green and ended up with another double. I dropped another shot on 17 as I caught myself admiring a shot before I'd even hit it. I think my downhill par attempt started to try and come back up the hill to me at the end. I finished with par on the last for an 82 which is +3 for my course handicap.

All in all very pleased as I hit the ball pretty solidly with only a couple of loose shots. Reasonably pleased with the putting as most of the bad stuff was down to the poor greens. I kept saying to myself you can start it on the line you want, it either goes in or it doesn't. Most of the time they went in after I said that.

Got another round tomorrow afternoon so hopefully the good golf will continue.

Well done 1GG - only 3 over your handicap sounds pretty damn good to me after a 4 month layoff - and with tined greens too

I know the h/c system is different over there - is that a "counting" round or was it just a knock about?

Got a game tomorrow and it sounds like we've got lucky here in the Thames Valley - the TV is still talking about an Arctic Easter for us but here it's been lovely today and I wouldn't have minded being out there today. A week of greens maintenance at my club but I spoke to someone tonight who played today and they said they weren't too bad - heavily sanded and tined but better than expected.

Just a bounce game for me tomorrow then a "fun" mixed comp on Monday (so both NQ) but can't wait to get our there after a bit of a weather induced layoff

Thanks Davie, it'll be a non counting round as the handicap season isn't open until April 1. All of my rounds between then and October 31 will be used to calculate my handicap.

Cold out there today but nothing like as cold as the last week - and after a few dry days the course had dried out really well!

Just a friendly matchplay today with my regular playing partner and he took the money on the 16th but felt I played OK - he just kept sinking clutch putts when I thought I was getting back on him. In have he commented on the 11th green that his putter was off today then proceeded to drain good saving putts on 12, 13, 15 and 15 when I thought I was fighting back!

Happy with my own game today though after a bad start. dreadful first couple of holes but came home in about 34 pts estimated (couple of gimmes in there) and after a shocker of a drive on 1st and a not much better one on 2, actually drove the ball pretty well today - after 1 and 2 I only remember one other drive that was disappointing. Team comp on Monday to finish off the long weekend

Went out yesterday afternoon when the sun was shining and the temparature was in the mid to high teens, it was a bit breezy at times. Alright, I'll stop rubbing it in about the weather now and tell you about the golf. Course conditions were pretty much the same as yesterday so bumpy, bobbly greens made putting a bit of a lottery. To make matters a little more interesting some kids had stolen two of the flagsticks and broken another one; idiots! I did hole a couple of long putts but missed some shorter ones as the ball was diverted off line so that meant there were a couple of three putts.

I still had a couple of loose shots and ended up with a couple of triples. I had my first birdie of the season on 8 but also the first lost ball off of the 10th tee. I managed to make a 6 on that par 5; definitley a coulda, woulda, shoulda moment. I had another interesting hole on 16, drive in the trees and then a very good provisional. Found the first ball deep in the woods and was needing a minor miracle to get it out of there. Of course it hit a tree and stayed in. It did leave an easier shot out of the woods and I was about 5 yards in front of the provisional. Nice wedge onto the green and then promptly holed a 20+ footer for the 5.

Overall still pretty pleased with my 84 despite 8 shots going in 3 holes with three putts on all of them.

First competition since completion of the winter league for us today. A strokeplay qualifier and having not swung a club since our defeat in the Mail on Sunday three weeks ago I thought it might be a bit of a struggle to get in the buffer zone and so it proved. A dire front 9 saw me 10 over at the turn, including a double and a triple.

Back 9 was better, including a couple of birdies but still finished 14 over for an 86 and a long way down the field. Just pleased to be out there though, much firmer underfoot than when I last played and good to feel some warmth from the sun now and again.