GOLF

[olbriar]

Golf is such an easy game to play and so challenging to play well.

My father took up the game when I was ten or eleven so I had the opportunity to play the game when I got into my teens. When I didn't make the baseball team my freshman year in high school I went out for golf. I made the team and played for my school for three years. I was working my senior year so I quit the game and didn't start playing again until last fall. I never was great at the game but shot in the low eighties most of the time. I had a few games were everything went right and a few where nothing went right but the low eighties was basically my game. After a 53 year layoff I'm struggling to recapture the game I once had. I thought I could just knock the rust off and play as well as I did when I was a kid. NO SIR! I just finished my tenth round of golf and I've had numerous outings to the driving range. Today I shot an eighty seven. I'm starting to get a swing that's working for me. Next I need to come through the ball consistently so I can better judge the distance of each club. Then I need to read the greens better and get a better feel for their speed. It all seems so easy to learn / fix and yet it is extremely difficult. I guess that is why I love the game and admire the pros who play the game so well.

Do you play golf? What's your golf story?

 

[ocnbrze]

does miniature golf count? just like bowling, the more i drink the better i get at miniature golf.....LOL

i don't see how people can watch golf on tv. i might understand about playing it, but watching professionals on tv........i don't get it.

 

[olbriar]

does miniature golf count? just like bowling, the more i drink the better i get at miniature golf.....LOL

i don't see how people can watch golf on tv. i might understand about playing it, but watching professionals on tv........i don't get it.

I know... it's pretty slow paced to say the least. However, it does hold a level of entertainment for those that play the game. The pros make the shots look incredibly easy and yet the shots are quite the opposite. A fan watches and marvels at the skill level the pros have achieved. And.. it's heart warming to see them duff a shot or hit a shot in the trees or lake on occasion.

If you played the game watching would be more entertaining. Not that it would ever be a must see show. And if you played the game you would want to play again. There is something about playing so bad at something that looks so easy it's GAME ON. At least for me I am determined to improve and even play well. I can do this lol... maybe.

 

[mikedt]

The only "golf" I know, was one made made by VW in 1984. Well I have heard of Tiger Woods. and I believe Donald Trump is into this sport.

 

[Dannydet]

I love golf.
Unfortunately I'm a hack on the course, with an occasional birdie or unbelievable shot mixed in.
I love watching it on TV because I know just how complicated it is to lay down a good shot.

 

[olbriar]

I love golf.
Unfortunately I'm a hack on the course, with an occasional birdie or unbelievable shot mixed in.
I love watching it on TV because I know just how complicated it is to lay down a good shot.

I'm a hack at best myself. My main objective is to get good enough that I'm not holding everyone up. Being an old man is no excuse to play as badly as I do. I have hopes that with retirement I will have the time to improve. One thing about it, I'm so bad that I have to get better.

Speaking of holding up the game... Good grief the game has changed over the years. Back in the day most everyone walked the course. The few that opted for a cart were a pain because they were up your back until you let them play through. Now everyone rides. There is no way you could walk without being in everyone's way. I don't mind riding.. but I do mind paying for it. Carts get more players across the course per day. They have a lot of nerve to charge for their extra golfers.

 

[tube517]

I"m a hacker. I have a set of clubs. I am hit or miss. I can drive the ball decent or I just whiff completely. LOL.

 

[olbriar]

My biggest problem is trying to judge the distance I might hit the ball with a given club. I might hit a 9 iron 80 yards but if I get through the ball as I should I'm looking at 115 yards. I never know how I might hit the ball so it's impossible at this point to pick the right club to swing. If I can get to the point where I consistently swing through the ball I will take six and up to nine strokes off my game. I'm not fighting a hook or slice. I'm up the middle with my shots. It's a must that I develop a consistent swing and contact.

Keep in mind that I will turn 70 this summer. The days of hitting a 300 yard drive are in my past. A good drive for me is in the low 200 yard range on the fly. A sorry drive is more like 175 yards. I can live with that inconsistency because I can make up for it with my second shot. It's the iron play that has me short or long of the green that's killing me. When I should be on in two it is often three and you can't have that and have a decent score.

My putting is nothing to brag about but I'll speak of that in a future whine.

 

[ocnbrze]

Question, having never played the game before, do you need to play with somebody else? Or can you just play by yourself......sort of like practice? How do you keep track of where you hit the ball? What if it gets hit where you can't see it land and it's hidden under a tree or bush? Is that called a mulligan?

 

[olbriar]

Question, having never played the game before, do you need to play with somebody else? Or can you just play by yourself......sort of like practice? How do you keep track of where you hit the ball? What if it gets hit where you can't see it land and it's hidden under a tree or bush? Is that called a mulligan?

You can play by yourself but most will play in a group of two or more. Most courses like to limit the group size to four to keep in pace with the other groups. Their idea is to get as many across the course in a day (more revenue) but large groups of more than four slow down the players behind.

It is a matter of timing to keep your eye on the ball as you hit it and then track it's flight. When I started playing again I had no idea where I hit the ball or I looked up too soon and topped the ball vs striking it as I should. Now that I've improved some, it isn't that hard to find where I hit each shot.

Playing strict rules you must play your ball where it lies. You aren't allowed to improve that position without gaining a penalty stroke.
If it is a man made hazard such as a trash can or cart path that obstructs your shot, there are rules to edit your lie without a penalty.

A mulligan is a friendly way of skirting the rules. Either a redo of the shot or moving the ball to improve your next shot without penalty is considered a mulligan. It is clearly cheating. I grew up playing regulation golf and continue to observe the rules of the game. It's all a matter of who you are playing with and what you decide makes it more fun for your group. After all, it's a game and games should be enjoyed.

A bit more about tracking your shot. I dnld an app to my phone and watch. The app knows what course you are playing and the distance to each hole. Prior to each shot you tell the app what club you are using. Using GPS it knows where you are at each shot and tells you how far you are from the hole. At the end of a round it will show you each shot and the distance of each. After a number of rounds it will then suggest, based on your past play, what club you should use to cover the remaining distance to the hole. Pretty clever use of GPS, phone, and smartwatch.

 

[ocnbrze]

don't they have balls with built in gps that you can track the ball with your phone? seems like the tech is there for it.

 

[olbriar]

don't they have balls with built in gps that you can track the ball with your phone? seems like the tech is there for it.

Not that I'm aware of but they do have a set of tags using NFC that you can screw into the end of each shaft, label each tag as to the club it's associated with, and track your shots by tapping your phone with your chosen club before each shot. There are a number of systems that use this technique. I can buy tags to work with the app I have to track shots. Instead of tapping my watch and choosing the club, just tap the end of the club to your phone and voila. It's not worth $99 to me but I can see how some might desire the tags.

There is nothing on the market that I'm aware of that actually measures the distance your ball travels. All that I've seen counts on you to tell it what club you are using. Then you tell it the next club you are using. With GPS it determines the distance each shot has gone.

 

[olbriar]

I haven't played for a week. It was either raining like crazy or I was trying to catch up on my lawns when it wasn't. Today is already warm but a bit windy. I have my work all caught up so golf is calling my name. I won't likely be able to get a tee time at this late date so I'll probably just hit the driving range. Practice make perfect they say.
I say practice can't be bad when you stink at the game.

 

[olbriar]

It was nearly hot on the driving range. I had a good time and hit the ball better than normal. I even had a guy ask to stand behind me and watch my swing while driving the ball. I was hitting them well and straight as an arrow. I told him I'm not the one to watch or give advice but he assured me I was hitting them like he only dreamed.
Made my day. I hope I didn't mess him up lol.

 

[olbriar]

HOT!
I mowed five lawns today then showered, changed, and hit the driving range to work on my long irons. It's a beautiful day today with almost zero wind. It was fun but it was hot! I just got home and looked at my weather station. 97° and 60% humidity. Heat index is back and forth between 115° and 116° with gale force winds at 0.4 mph. Needless to say I suffered major meltdown and now trying to rehydrate. Rehydration is half the fun of golf.

 

[ocnbrze]

HOT!
I mowed five lawns today then showered, changed, and hit the driving range to work on my long irons. It's a beautiful day today with almost zero wind. It was fun but it was hot! I just got home and looked at my weather station. 97° and 60% humidity. Heat index is back and forth between 115° and 116° with gale force winds at 0.4 mph. Needless to say I suffered major meltdown and now trying to rehydrate. Rehydration is half the fun of golf.

can you drink alcohol on the course? do you use a golf cart? or do you walk the course?

 

[olbriar]

The course I play most often has a gal driving around the course in a cart with iced beers for sale. It wasn't like that fifty years ago. Just like a ballpark, you aren't allowed to bring your own cooler. And yes, I use a cart when playing golf. I wouldn't mind walking but I would be slowing the flow of golfers and have a group waiting on my every shot. I liked the game more when it was slower paced and I walked.

 

[olbriar]

RAIN!!! The problem with golf is it's an outdoor sport. Here in Kansas it is often too hot or cold, too windy, or it's raining. Today it is rain that butched my planned round of golf.

I tried to golf Friday at my home course. I was unaware that mid week, when a weather front moved through, it blew down over fifteen huge cottonwood trees on the course. It was closed due to the damage and will not be open until sometime late next week. I was a young man and the course was pretty new when I first started playing there. I remember when those trees were so little I could jump over them.

I recently added a new tool for my golfing pleasure. I bought a range finder. Using a laser it will accurately give you the distances to hazzards and the flag on the green. Now that I'm becoming more consistent at the distance I hit the ball with a given club it will be an aid in determining which club I need to use.

 

[olbriar]

My golfing partner, my son, is playing a round of golf today with a guy that's dating his sister-in-law. They are playing at the Flint Hills National course. The course is ranked in the top 100 courses in the US. There is a $40,000 initiation fee to join and a $ 9,200 annual fee to be a member. Needless to say... it's a very nice course and quite exclusive. The guy my son is playing with is a near scratch golfer and belongs to another national golf course. I have no idea what he paid to be a guest of an existing Flint Hills member but I'm sure it wasn't chump change. What a treat to play such a course. I'm anxious to hear how they played. The course is very difficult.

On the other hand, I went and hit a bucket of balls at my local municipal course. That is exactly where I belong.

 

[Dannydet]

@olbriar, that sounds like me.... Hitting a bucket at the putt putt course!!!

 

[olbriar]

I didn't hit a single ball into the water or into the trees. It was a good day.

 

[Dannydet]

Good job!
BTW you didn't mention sand....
Any bunker shots?

 

[olbriar]

Good job!
BTW you didn't mention sand....
Any bunker shots?

They have a practice bunker complete with green and flag. I did not practice any shots there... I should. Sand traps are like ball magnets.
I manage to be be in a trap at least three holes out of eighteen. It would be time well spent to practice that sand trap shot more than I do.

 

[olbriar]

My son came by for a couple of beers to tell me the story of the Flint Hills National. The course ate his lunch! It ate up his playing partner as well. His near scratch golfer friend shot an eighty five and my son a 103. They had a great time but that is one difficult course. It takes a great shot on most holes just to reach the fairway. It's laid out so that it takes more than one good shot per hole to hit the green. The greens are up and down and tuff to read. And the fairways are all bordered by tall grass, trees, water, or a combination of all. Makes me shiver.

 

[olbriar]

I worked my way though a bucket of balls early this morning. It was a beautiful day and fun to be on the course. It was 69° when I left the house with just a slight breeze from the North. It was quite humid and the grass was wet. I worked on my long iron shots ( 6 and 5 iron) for I struggle to hit them pure. Today was an exception. I managed to hit them well which made my day. I'm resigned to the fact that I can't hit the long shot anymore. It is either a lack of strength or age or that I broke my back when I was 20. If I can't him them far I have to hit them straight. Today I managed to keep my shots on a narrow path. I came home feeling pleased.