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Congrats Super!

bloody shanks

Sent my playing partners scuttling myself on Saturday, absolute beauty up the first head height 50 - 60 degrees right of target purely struck. The beauty of forged irons ooowwwwwwwww.

even shanked a rescue - definitely a new low, with 36 hole club champs on sunday...

Roller_Coaster wrote:Sent my playing partners scuttling myself on Saturday, absolute beauty up the first head height 50 - 60 degrees right of target purely struck. The beauty of forged irons ooowwwwwwwww.

I am going to be a pedant hear and say that if it was a real shank it can't have been purely struck. A shank is very specifically a shot that has been hit with the hosel, which is clearly not purely struck.

I am aware (as are my still vibrating fingers) of what constitutes a shank. In the context of what one is, and to perhaps clarify to those in doubt, it was as purely struck a hosel as you will ever see.

Wouldn't a perfect shank go straight? i.e. one that is hit right out of the centre of the hosel

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

OK - I'm busted. It was a shank, but it wasn't even a good shank. It was a terrible shank. I can't even do that properly. I will take myself off to the range and practise until I can shank it properly. I'm sorry golf.

Or, it was out of the centre of the hosel, it just wasn't the centre of the ball...

Anyway - didn't have one this week. Good or bad.

What a funny game golf is.
The last few months, I've been struggling massively to keep big numbers off my card, usually posting a couple of 7s at some point in the round. Haven't played to my handicap for at least 3 months.
We had kid number 2 arrive at the start of this month so I went out to play yesterday for the first time in just under 4 weeks, no range, nothing. Got up and it was hammering with rain and blowing a gale.
I'm terrible in the rain, gives me the hump in truth. So standing on the first tee in full waterproofs, umbrella attached to trolley, socks already soaked, and having not hit a ball for a while, I accepted the fact that it was going to be a shocker.

4 hours later I'd managed a gross 76, net 65.

What a funny game golf is!

Worst round in years yesterday. Couldn't reach the first in two, so took a recovery off the tee and put it ob left with a massive over the top pull. Managed another 3 reloads over the rest of the round, some chipping yips - chunked 3/4 chips (never had that before)... And a stone cold putter. I've been chipping fine of late, but haven't been practicing much, ditto the putting. a lesson and extra practice will probably cure all... I hope.

Well done MPB - I had a mare on Saturday, and am now up to 10. Hopefully I'll be able to surprise myself in similar fashion before the season ends and get back into single figures!

Thanks Smithers.
I'd say the chances infinitely favour you producing a good round before I do again!

Club champs Sunday (9hcap)
First 9 3 over second 9 7 over. 1 over par for the first round. 2 shots back from the leader, so in a good position but not too stressful.
Level through 6 of 2nd round (including a double) feeling pretty good, half swing working well, arrived at the si 18 7th, very short par 4. Nobbed drive down as usual, left half of fairway, easy 8 iron in. Shank ob. No problem sez I, reload. Shank, catches chicken wire fence and drops inbounds. Not sure if I'd find it so drop another and put it to 3 feet. Stupidly go and look for 2nd ball and find it in a tangle of briers. Hack, shank, ob. Drop, hack, shank, ob. Drop, hack, shank, ob. Large clatter and ball pops out. Clank it onto green and 2 putt for a 12. Think I am now suffering PTSD.

Ridiculous round today. Started birdie, double, double, birdie. Finished with 4 birdies on the card (all the par 5s) and missed two short putts to raid the 2s fund on 10 and 14. Finished +15....really can't explain how beyond some poor shots, a truckload of wretched luck and a frustrating combination of brilliant and appalling putting. Stupid, stupid game.

Holed a 5 iron for eagle from 170 yards today, third time lucky as it's the third pin i'd hit in my last 10 holes (over 2 rounds)

Obviously no scorecard in hand.

Inter club game today, ostensibly a "committee versus committee" affair.

Having totally forgotten about it and been told on Wednesday that the oppos were all set, I frantically trawled the phone book for players. Finally getting a team together about lunchtime yesterday.

Cue "we can only get 5" text from oppos at 8 o'clock last night (need 12) so it's off.

In short - no game today.

F**kers.

Club champs round 1 tomorrow. Cue another inept display, although it doesn't really matter as our club's one shining light (+3 & England A player) is back from his rota of pretty high level am tournaments and is playing, so not a huge amount of point, but we'll give it a go...

I'd be a bit embarrassed being a +3 international player, playing in all those top amateur events and then  coming back and playing the "competitive dad" at my local club by smashing all the club golfers  up.

He should be ashamed of himself.

If you've got loads of good players which he'd have to beat fair enough, but if he's that far out on his own and playing in big events at an International level, he should leave that comp for those who it really is the big event for.

Interesting point you touch on Super

The best player at my club is a guy off scratch. He won the club champs in 2014 and 2013. Prior to that he was always 2nd as we had a guy off +2 who left in 2012.
The next best handicap, sadly, is 6. We've a couple off 7 and a couple off 8 and then we're almost at me!

This scratch chap is not overly popular as is a touch aloof.

Club champs come around this year, the draw is published - lowest tee times out earliest - and his name is not on it. A rumour goes around the club (his dad is also a member so it's assumed to come from him) that he has decided not to play this year as it will be a better championship if he stands down to give potentially anyone from say 12 down, or maybe even higher, a chance of winning if can put together 2 good rounds.

For about a fortnight this guy is more popular than he's ever been! Big excitement round the club and lots of conversations can be heard along the lines of 'what a nice thing to do' and 'if that's what he's done then he's a top guy in my eyes'.....

Gets to 1 day before the comp, the Friday, an email goes round - "Scratch golfer has been away playing opens here and there and forgot to put his name down. Yes the deadline is closed but he's the defending champ so special dispensation has been allowed so he's playing. Ps, and he has something else to do in the morning so has been allowed to tee off at lunch time when it's good for him".

He wins the Club Championships.
How to turn yourself from the most unpopular guy at the club to the most popular guy at the club and back to even more unpopular than you were in a few days.......

How are your club champs run? Just two rounds?

Seems a bit poor if that's the case, the one I played in this year is 2 rounds qualifying, followed by Top 16 Scratch contesting Club Champ in matchplay rounds with a 36 hole final, so you need to play 7 rounds to win.
Top 8 Handicap contest that in the same way.

Might be difficult if you have a dearth of players as it sounds like you do.

Just two rounds over Sat and Sunday. I can't speak for all but for certain a large number of clubs around here do theirs over the same format.
What is poor is of about 300 members there have only ever been around 60-80 entered into the club champs since I've been a member. You'd think it would be the one comp everyone would want to play in

MustPuttBetter wrote:Just two rounds over Sat and Sunday. I can't speak for all but for certain a large number of clubs around here do theirs over the same format.
What is poor is of about 300 members there have only ever been around 60-80 entered into the club champs since I've been a member. You'd think it would be the one comp everyone would want to play in

Only if there is a gross and nett component to it (think we've had this discussion before)

Obviously the club CHAMPION is the best gross score over however many rounds the club chooses. But even in a club like mine with around 700 members, if Club Champs weekend is gross only then you'd get about 30 maximum entering.

With a gross and nett component, we had around 170 entrants this year over a two day format

We have what sounds like the same format as yours Davie. The gross is the proper club champ but there is a net trophy which is a big trophy in the clubs calendar.
I'd like it if they could find a way of getting more involved

MPB/Davie et al - I find this one really interesting (probably says more about me than should be in the open). I played squash for many years before finally limping into golf. Squash club championships, we knew most years who was going to win, but still everybody entered. The draw sheet went on for miles, and it seemed all had their goal to achieve. A really good year for me would be semis, more regularly quarters. Some would be delighted to improve by one round, but everyone played, and best player won. It seems an alien concept in golf?
I know lots of chaps, and ladies who are very competitive in handicap events, but remove the handicap element, or even have it ranked second behind scratch and the loss of interest is amazing.
Personal view - handicap system is great, but over used? I think it's just golf where this exists, but you will tell me if I'm wrong?

I understand what you are saying Puligny but I just don't think it applies to golf. When you have around 700 members and only realistically about 10 people with a genuine chance at winning, then it's pretty obvious to me that there would only be perhaps 25-30 people would enter (the 10 realistic chances and 15-20 who just fancied their outside chances).

Maybe the answer would be to have the "proper" club champs separate and let the 25-30 people fight it out and have another weekend entirely where the rest of the members could have a chance of winning the most prestigious event they are ever likely to play in.

Why would you only enter if you had a realistic chance of winning?? surely the objective is to just try and be the best YOU can be?? I enter our club champs every year (I'm usually between 20th & 30th on the handicap list of those who enter - there's a couple of plus 1s, 2-3 scratch and a sprinkling of 1's and 2's). Realistically I know not all of them are going to have a mediocre day on the same day I decide to have a blinder but I wouldn't miss the day. Yes there's a net prize as well but it's not really the focus although I guess the higher you are the more of a focus the net prize becomes.

When I first started entering I was lucky to scrape in as a reserve off 9 at the time (only the top 72 contest the Club Champs and it is just a 36 hole medal). At that time we had around half a dozen plus guys and about the same scratch. So basically I knew I was never going to win.

In the squash tourneys I mentioned I suppose guys (and gals) were initially playing others at similar level as a result of seeding etc. even so I find the golf "mentality" odd. I'm in the minority at my home club, but can't see what is wrong with best player wins - at least every now and again!

Dreadful effort yesterday. Front 9 in level par, cruising, still level after 10 than dropped 6 shots in a holocaust 5 holes. Bit of a wake up call though as I clearly got ahead of myself, so perhaps a good thing with a 36 hole scratch "major" coming up at the weekend (which even though it's scratch, is going to have 100+ members play in it)

I can't understand the mentality of people not playing in medals if they can't win it. Surely there's a personal target. Don't we play for fun rather than to win?

JAS wrote:Yes there's a net prize as well but it's not really the focus although I guess the higher you are the more of a focus the net prize becomes.

I think you sum it up right there JAS

And super .. I don't think we are talking about medals here - just scratch comps for those of us who are 20 shots off being able to win it.

I enter every medal I can and I'm happy to test myself against the lower handicappers in that format - just not scratch comps

WHen there is a scratch event at my sclub as there is this weekend, there is also a handicap element to it.
The scratch score takes presedence in regards to the big trophy, but there is a handicap trophy too.

There's only 4 a year like this, so not too much for the higher handicappers to grumble about.

In truth I feel the same as Puligny to a large extent.
The handicap system is great, and I suppose a necessity in golf to make it competitive owing really to the size of the fields. In football or tennis one player/side might be better than the other but it's 1 on 1 and the lesser team performing better on the day isn't impossible. But in golf where the field is say 100 competitors, if you're off 20 or even 10 for that matter, the chances of you having enough of a blinder whilst all the lower players have shockers is so remote, as has been said, really only a few players can win on a gross basis.

So handicaps are good to keep people interested, basically. Still though if I shoot 80 and score 36 points in a comp and a lower handicap has shot 75 for 30 points, I'm well aware I haven't played better than him. Basically my handicap is a gauge for me to see how I scored compared to how I normally score. If I beat my handicap I'm please because I might be improving but I wouldn't take massive pleasure from having beaten someone net who had a lower gross.

If you offer me a choice of a) scoring 30 pts with a 75 gross or b) scoring 36 pts with an 80 gross, - I'm choosing a) every time

I'm certain that if there were no handicaps the average gross score would be lower but I'm also certain participation would be much less

Works both ways, to me the handicap element of competitions (in regards to evening up the field) are of no interest at all.
I obviously play in them, but I have zero interest in winning them.

I only play in them in the hope of getting as low as possible.

Could have done with my handicap yesterday, got the call up to the first team for a league fixture. It must be holiday time with a lot of the top guys away for me to get picked :-p) Anyway scratch 4bbb, partner & I played ok but just had no answer, they were 3 under gross better ball, one of them being 2 under on his own. Tturns out he was a +1 so as a 5 and a 6 we were up against it.

Here's a question -

As I've mentioned I recently had a month off after arrival of junior and prior to that had not been scoring well for quite some time. I'd had a lesson in the spring and was trying to work on an earlier wrist hinge and shortening my swing down. I know often it gets worse before better but I'd been working on it for a good 3 months and was showing no signs of it coming together. Had gone up from 9.9 to 10.8.
Since having that month's break I decided to call it quits on the attempt to shorten my swing. Still trying to work in the earlier wrist hinge but have returned to my longer, past parallel position at the top of the backswing.

The question is, how long would you lot persevere with a change before binning it? Or would you continue ad infinitum until you'd cracked it?

Good question, although I've discovered binning pretty much all mechanical and technical advice has resulted in better golf.

I assume Super to be off your handicap your swing must be fairly technically sound?
If there was a glaring 'fault' would you work on trying to change it?

I presume there is something wrong with it MPB, especially with the irons as I hit an embarrassingly low number of greens given I'm usually on fairway and have to depend on a tidy short game to save me. I only hit 2 on the front 9 yesterday, but managed level on those holes, then driving on the back 9 killed me for once.

I probably need to consider this and in the close season I should probably get it checked out and addressed.
How long I'd give it, or how long before I settled back into bad habits would be another question.

That just sounds like something nightly in an otherwise sound swing where you'll probably find a pro pointing out a simple fix within half a dozen swings of watching you Super which is quite different to setting out to make a wholesale change like MPB is dealing with.

I've been there MPB, my pro said to me about 5 years ago...yes you're a decent single figure golfer and you're capable of playing to around 7-8 and having the odd good round. If however you want to get to Cat 1 there are things in your swing that are stopping you and will stop you. I can get them out but it'll be long and painful (he didn't mention expensive but that too). I spent a good 3 years in the wilderness but am now in a much better place, got as low as 4.2 last year. Still having to fight nasty habits creeping back but slowly getting there. All I would say, if making wholesale changes you have to stick with it and have regular checkups. I also video myself on the range to check swing plane and positions. Self diagnosis is a LOT cheaper that frequent lessons :-p

Jas

What parts of your old swing did your pro suggest were holding you back from getting to cat 1?

its funny how people (self included) will buy new driver or putter for a few hundred quid without thinking twice but wouldnt drop half that amount on some lessons.

Good point actually Hendo.

JAS, did it take you a full 3 years of going backwards before seeing any improvement?
I really gave the changes a good go at the range and the course for a good 3 months and genuinely saw no signs of any progress.
You look at people like Furyk and wonder if it might be better just trying to stick with the flaws

McLaren wrote:Jas

What parts of your old swing did your pro suggest were holding you back from getting to cat 1?

I had a cast across at the top and a bit of a sway, the cast has gone but I still struggle not to start reverting to a bit of a sway from time to time. When I started to fix it it introduced (or exagerrated) other flaws like not weight shifting then in an effort to weight shift and get more width the sway came back as did some head movement so it's been a long arduous process. I used to get by via good timing and only good timing so if my timing was off I was awful. He's trying to get me to a place where I'm less reliant on good timing. Still need good timing of course but if I'm off now the bad ones are much less destructive.

MustPuttBetter wrote:JAS, did it take you a full 3 years of going backwards before seeing any improvement?
I really gave the changes a good go at the range and the course for a good 3 months and genuinely saw no signs of any progress.
You look at people like Furyk and wonder if it might be better just trying to stick with the flaws

would say more of a year of going backwards (with an isolated good round or 2), then a bit of a levelling off, then a gradual improvement. Last year was my best ever year (4 years on from the start of picking the old swing apart. I've gone backwards a bit again this year as I haven't had as much time to work on further refinements. It's funny how when I go through periods of thing feeling good the putting then goes awry :-/

JAS

Will you be implementing a Spieth chicken wing over the winter? It will soon be all the rage.

What is that Mac?

I might try and implement the Spieth pointy finger

Super

His bent left arm through impact. It forms a sort of chicken wing shape.

Can I throw a rules question out there - friend of mine was playing in a singles knockout yesterday. They get to the 17th all square and the opponent remembers he was meant to have a shot on the 5th which they had halved gross and the shot was forgotten, the hole sitting on the scorecard as a half.
The chap said that hole was actually a net win to him so he was 1 up. They halve 17 and 18 and my friend loses by said hole.

Because he's quite a placid quiet guy he accepted it and moved on. I have to say, I'm not sure I would have.
I've looked online and can find absolutely nothing confirming what should have happened. Any thoughts?

I feel that the result of the hole was declared and long gone and should stand. His shot, he forgot, tough luck.
At our place the 9th is a par 4 and can be driven, the 16th is a par 4 that is possible to drive. If you're 1 down getting to those holes, and plenty of other shots no doubt, you play them very differently to how you might at all square or leading

Pretty sure you're right MPB .. something about once the next hole starts

I don't know for certain but because matchplay isn't scored and signed for in the same way I don't think there's much you can do about this. Had it happened after the match I might agree that it's tough titty, but because the match was still in progress I think the other chap was within his rights. After all, if your friend had known that his opponent had forgotten a shot, but didn't fess up when the half was assumed, surely he would have been cheating?

But then what do I know - from the R&A site

Q In a handicap match, A holed out in 3. B, having a putt for a gross 4 and forgetting that he was entitled to a handicap stroke at the hole, conceded the hole to A. Before A or B played from the next teeing ground, B remembered that he had a handicap stroke at the last hole. What is the ruling?

A A won the hole when B conceded it (Rule 2-4). It was B's responsibility to know the holes at which he received handicap strokes – see Note under Rule 6-2. Since B forgot about his handicap stroke, he must suffer the consequences.

The only thing I'd say in mitigation is that if on the hole in question both players holed out, then there's no concession involved, so it's not quite so clear cut as that example.

I don't always make a point of confirming a hole result with an opponent - if someone's hacked their way down a hole and I've won it to go 5 up I always think it's a bit rude to emphasise the point by reminding them of the score.