i ordered it. looks like a decent read. maybe i can use some of it for the young ladies that I coach in softball
I'm spoiled because my home course is very focused on pace of play (you start to lose your privileges after your second offense), but when playing in a tournament or somewhere else it's slow, the key (for me, anyhow) is to think and talk about anything but golf between shots. Don't think about how you're having a great round or a horrible round, or what the next swing is going to be. When there's about 30 seconds until you're going to hit (or however long your preshot routine is), that's when you get yourself back into the golf zone. It's like Ken Hill talks about when going onto track - on pit out, he stands up on the bike and stretches, and that's his cue that "it's go time". For me, the start of my routine is putting my glove on, but until that happens I just try to enjoy the time with friends, look out over the beautiful scenery, and keep anything technical or score related out of my head.
My GF wanted to start golfing and has been bugging me to have interest. Her son plays (well, 4 handicap) and her brother plays (not well), but somehow it was imperative that I take interest. I bought a driver in March and started going to the driving range a couple times a week. By the end of April I had a full bag of clubs and we're members of a country club. Shit is like crack. I've only been at it for a few months and I suck, but occasionally I make a good shot here and there. I rarely keep score, but I golfed with her son last night and he kept track and I shot a 46 on the front 9. I get off the tee box OK, hit long irons well and putt well. I'm losing most of my strokes with wedges around the greens. Fun but frustrating game. Now if my elbows and shoulders would quit being sore...
That's what I've started trying to do. I sit in the cart, yap and joke/drink etc until it's go time. I generally don't even take a yardage until the group clears ahead of me. When they start walking away I get out, take a quick yardage, think about/picture in my head shot i want to take, grab a club, stand behind and take a couple smooth swipes to find the ground, get my grip and alignment, then step up and hit my shot. When I follow that routine I generally make good shots. When I don't follow that....... Standing there over my ball waiting while watching somebody in the group ahead chip across the green 3 times, then run across the green again to grab their putter from the cart they parked where they shouldn't have, then four putt, then run back because they forgot their pitching wedge on the fringe.......all the while the other guys in the group haven't putted because the other guy was "still away". Will ruin my next shot guaranteed, everytime. I'm not bagging on that guy either, It happens sometimes. It's 100% a ME problem My Friend that I play with all the time knows me well, and always jabs me about it (we've been friends since we were 4, so no punches pulled). A few rounds ago I stuck a wedge to 3' on 15 and got to the green to mark my ball. Our other buddy missed the green, then bladed one across the other side, then putted BACK across the green, then putted again but left it 10' short lol. All the while while I'm standing there looking at my 3 footer for bird..... My buddy Nick says "jesus christ Bob, just pick it up, Dubeau's already 4 putted his ball in his head 6 times, that's good from there" ha ha. It was all I needed to laugh and to stop thinking about it and drain the putt. He was right though, I was totally gonna yank that putt before he said it and got me to stop thinking about it . After we got in the cart I showed him my card and I was even (for the back) with 3 to go. He just laughed and said, "I knew you were even, why'd you show me that, you know you're going to fuck this up now". I bogeyed the last 3 coming in with two 3 putts. One from 4' that lipped out coming downhill, and left me 5' back up hill on the same line, and I lipped out the same damn side again. I played the front at +9 with 2 blowup doubles. That's a pretty typical round for me right now and a good snapshot into my golf game lol. Him and I usually play in under 3 hours. We both play quick and hate long rounds, but sometimes there's not much you can do and have to go with the flow. Our local course we play a lot is pretty hit and miss sometimes, but weeknights this year has been pretty good. There's something to be said about a good group of golfing buddies that all play similar. Makes for a pretty enjoyable round. Some laughs, some beers, some bad shots, and some good shots that keep you coming back again. Great game.
Sounds like me...I seriously don't keep score but I remember some really good shots and forget the bad ones quickly
Look at Rickie Fowler's earnings for never winning any event and you will see lol. don't get me started on Saudi backed LIV golf series (non compete clause with PGA) I just like to hit the range these days and try to be consistent. Pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge are my favorite clubs... Got Bridgestone clubs w/ extra stiff shafts. (except for the special wedges)
Ummm I'm pretty sure we got some closet golfers up in here I've never so many long posts since I joined this wera thang
All this talk about gf's and so's golfing so I thought I'd share a story from my dad. His passion was golf, so I grew up around it (in the same neighborhood as Nicklaus, Norman, and Middlecoff). Some dude at the club has a wife who says she's interested in learning how to play since the husband spends so much time playing. She thought it would be a "great way to spend more quality time together." So dude takes her out, and on the fifth or sixth hole, he drops a ball on the fairway on a slight downhill. He hands his wife a 1 iron and says, "Now, honey, this is the easiest shot in the book. If you can't hit it, I'm afraid there's no hope for you. " Needless to say his quality time on the course remained uninterrupted from that point on.
I can ramble on forever about shit I'm really into. And often do, too . Every time I sit down with the FIL, we ramble on about all our latest good shots/bad shots etc while the wives just roll their eyes. Just tell me to shutup like they do lol.
Probably an old butterknife 1 iron too. lol. Poor girl didn't stand a chance. My wife grew up in a golfing family. Her Dad, mom, her and and sister all golfed growing up and still do. We've only golfed twice together over the years (charity scramble) but She hates it now, and thinks it's a stupid waste of time. . My buddies wife tried picking it up a few years ago, and came out with us a few times but she hates it now too. I think we both won.
rambling on about shots good/bad is typical...I remember after I moved to Florida I decided to go play at a club in Sun City. I get there and unload my bag into the cart. I get to #1 and there is a foursome. They see I'm alone and say go ahead. I pull out my driver and hit the ball straight into a tree and the ball comes back to the tee box
My current set of clubs is so good, I found myself never using any of my backup sets so gave them all away.........except for my original Nike blades (they released when Tiger came on tour in 97). They're now my backup set, and this little beaut will separate the men from the boys.
It's a typical ADHD trait . The ability to completely obsess about something we're passionate about, while totally ignoring all the other important stuff we should be doing, or caring about lol. I could talk golf, bike racing, machining, and a few other topics in great detail for hours without getting bored or tired. But have zero interest in small talk or other bullshit . You should see some of my posts BEFORE I edit them down
I live this life, so i know...i just find it hilarious when someone else does it. i've also just read the highlights, lol
Oh, I'd love to give that beauty a shot. There's a few set of clubs I'd like to pick up to have and maybe swing once in a while. Nike Tw blades are on the list for obvious reasons. I'd love to pick up a set of Macgregor blades and laminated golden bear woods. I had a set of those when I first started out, and they were terrible beginner clubs, but I'd love to play another round or two with them again for old times sake. BeCu ping eye 2's are on the list too. My buddies dad had a set, and I always loved the look of those clubs and wanted them badly. Same with ping zings. If I ever get a sim rig setup in the barn I'm going to buy a bunch of nostalgia clubs to hit once in a while.
