Golf...

[devonutopia]

Can't recall who said it was the ruination of a good walk, but I'm rather enjoying playing at the moment, mainly because I am doing a little better than historically.  I only started playing about 6 years ago with work (seems an accountant thing?....) and went through the whole lessons thing, and hacking off 36 to start, but now I am playing pretty consistently in work's little league thing to 18, and was down as low as 14 before I had a bit of a mare for 2 weeks, and tonight I was off 17.  Did my usual of fluffing up the odd shot which cost me, but the last hole, a 135 yard par 3 I managed to hit a sweet 9 iron to within 4 feet and rolled the putt in.  Birdie!  Felt good!  It was also the nearest the pin hole so a small cash prize too!..... (and I mean SMALL!)

 

Anyone else like ruining their walks?

[Auric Goldfinger]

Golf, are they made by Volkswagon?

[littleade]

I've been playing for about 16 years. .didn't start until I'd reached the big 40 and it's been my number 1 sport since. Those who don't play probably wouldn't understand this I guess but the big appeal to me is the integrity of the sport. No where else do competitors self police and call penalties on themselves. To me this sets it above all other sports. I actually played to my handicap on Saturday for about the 3rd time this year so I was well chuffed, especially as I birdied the last- a 465 yd par 4.

Whoever invented the game certainly had a sense of humour.... Right lads get the better of this then...

[littleade]

Golf, are they made by Volkswagon?

Haven't you got a train to catch LOL

[devonutopia]

 as I birdied the last- a 465 yd par 4.

 

 

 

I managed to make the green this evening (well slightly off the back edge) on a Par 5 in 2 shots (similar length I think).  Trouble is I was 3 off the tee after an awful howler....

[Binzie]

still hurting from corporate 36 holes 9 without the buggy due to weather 

 

I love team texas scramble 

 

Tested new driver out on the day and am waiting weekend to buy it !!

 

My 2007 clubs are rubbish compared to modern tech stuff 

[Binzie]

I managed to make the green this evening (well slightly off the back edge) on a Par 5 in 2 shots (similar length I think).  Trouble is I was 3 off the tee after an awful howler....

mulligans cost a pint with us 

 

eagle and everyones happy 

[budfox]

and was down as low as 14 before I had a bit of a mare for 2 weeks, and tonight I was off 17. 

That can't be an official CONGU handicap unless you are playing a HUGE amount of golf, because if you were off of 14, the highest your exact handicap could be is 14.4 - You can only increase that number by .1 in any round, so you'd need to go 14.4 to 16.5, or 21 rounds outside of your category 3 buffer zone.

 

Just being a pedant, but then I was handicap sec of my local club until I got a job here: www.woodburypark.co.uk

[tempra007]

Can't recall who said it was the ruination of a good walk, but I'm rather enjoying playing at the moment, mainly because I am doing a little better than historically.  I only started playing about 6 years ago with work (seems an accountant thing?....) and went through the whole lessons thing, and hacking off 36 to start, but now I am playing pretty consistently in work's little league thing to 18, and was down as low as 14 before I had a bit of a mare for 2 weeks, and tonight I was off 17.  Did my usual of fluffing up the odd shot which cost me, but the last hole, a 135 yard par 3 I managed to hit a sweet 9 iron to within 4 feet and rolled the putt in.  Birdie!  Felt good!  It was also the nearest the pin hole so a small cash prize too!..... (and I mean SMALL!)

 

Anyone else like ruining their walks?

 

Think it was Bob Hope who made that comment!, where do you play? Woodbury, Phear park or Budleigh?

[littleade]

Ah 3 off the tee.....Just like every saddo been there done that, normally just as I managed to get a score going.

BINZIE, DONT DO IT....YOU KNOW IT WILL ONLY WORK FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS

[devonutopia]

That can't be an official CONGU handicap unless you are playing a HUGE amount of golf, because if you were off of 14, the highest your exact handicap could be is 14.4 - You can only increase that number by .1 in any round, so you'd need to go 14.4 to 16.5, or 21 rounds outside of your category 3 buffer zone.

 

Just being a pedant, but then I was handicap sec of my local club until I got a job here: www.woodburypark.co.uk

 

No, but woodbury park is where we play as it happens.  We play the Acorns every Tuesday evening.   We have an unofficial (obviously) handicap setup just for our little league.  Basically you score 18, you've played to handicap, well done.  Every time you score above 18, you get 1 shot cut from your handicap.  I scored 24 points one week (think I had a 4 over par round) so ended up being cut 6 for the following week.  Ouch!  Sadly for going back up, you only go up one if you score 15-17, up two if you score 12-14, and up three for 11 and below (total nightmare rounds)

 

The idea therefore is to try and score 18 all the time, so you're not being cut.  I had a 13 last week :( and a 17 tonight, so despite my birdie, I still get +1 on my handicap and I will be playing off 18 next week.  I still seem to have good rounds and bad rounds, so I suffer with being cut hard for those 20+ evenings, and not added to for the times I score say 13 or 14.

 

As for clubs, I am still using the budget Bayhills I bought to learn to play....  They still seem to be doing OK.

[Binzie]

Cant you just have an agreed estimated handicap and then play stableford and cut for people who play 36 points or over (or under +)

[devonutopia]

We do that when on the golf tour, but for the 9 holes we play on Tuesday evenings, the current setup works well.  It rewards consistency, punishes "eclectic" players.  For the past three of four year I have usually won the eclectic trophy which takes the 9 holes averages played all season against the best possible single round, i.e the best you have done on each hole on any evening.  My "best" is usually around 2 under for the whole season, played over 18 or 20 tuesdays (playing 2 tee lengths as well), but my average is usually a way WAY worse than that.  This year, for a change, I am only about 4th in the eclectic leaderboard, so I must be doing something right somewhere....

[@Lee]

I've had plenty of eagles in the time I've been playing (on and off for 20 years or so now) so well done on the birdie. I was in to win 30 quid, a tricky hole well known to course users. I know I eyed it up correctly and used the correct club (loaned by the club for a deposit I might add) as it was recommended by my drawn partner. The only snag was the ball was slightly clipped by the windmill's sail which slightly altered its trajectory :( Hardest 30 quid I've ever parted with.

[Captain Scarlet]

Well I work on a golf course course in a team who look after it, and anything else that isn't the clubhouse. Sadly though as we're so busy I rarely get to play much and my game has gone downhill badly. Got a handicap of 11 but having not played in any comps for the last few years it will have gone as I'm just too inconsistent now.

My son who's 5 in November loves it though so he's my ticket to playing more in the coming years....hopefully I get back to where I was.

[budfox]

No, but woodbury park is where we play as it happens.  We play the Acorns every Tuesday evening.   We have an unofficial (obviously) handicap setup just for our little league.  Basically you score 18, you've played to handicap, well done.  Every time you score above 18, you get 1 shot cut from your handicap.  I scored 24 points one week (think I had a 4 over par round) so ended up being cut 6 for the following week.  Ouch!  Sadly for going back up, you only go up one if you score 15-17, up two if you score 12-14, and up three for 11 and below (total nightmare rounds)

 

The idea therefore is to try and score 18 all the time, so you're not being cut.  I had a 13 last week :( and a 17 tonight, so despite my birdie, I still get +1 on my handicap and I will be playing off 18 next week.  I still seem to have good rounds and bad rounds, so I suffer with being cut hard for those 20+ evenings, and not added to for the times I score say 13 or 14.

 

As for clubs, I am still using the budget Bayhills I bought to learn to play....  They still seem to be doing OK.

Ah good stuff. The acorns is a great little course, and very quiet. You also don't have the problem of having everyone watching you on the 18th like you do on Oaks :-)

[devonutopia]

I have played the oaks a couple of times - lovely course.  But only as part of an end-of-season day with work.  One of them, no-one was watching us on the 18th.  It was raining really hard and I put my ball in the water.  I was not happy playing in those conditions.

 

The Acorns is easier, but has its challenges.  The par 3, 2nd hole is interesting off the blue tees - 180+ yard carry over water to the green!

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Pretty good a crazy golf, southend, great yarmouth etc etc 

[Harvey1978]

I just could not get the hang of golf, tried many times, still remember my first time round my local par 3, shot off the first tee landed about 6 inches from the hole

 

of the 9th green and the round didn't get much better, teeing off on the last, my club launched in anger went about ten yards further than the tee shot that caused the tantrum

[rover220]

Not been on a course for a couple of years now. Still go the range occasionally though. Was playing off a handicap of 4........