Fore! Who's playing golf, yo-

[DeathVan]

There's a geriatric out here who carries only a putter and plays it for every shot.
-hits about a hundred yards

@Spook, I went to Junior High at Whitford, right across the street from Progress Downs (now RedTail), I've played that course too many times to count.

You can break 100 there, keep trying.

[RockChalk]

yeah, i love it, but i also like earlybird. i've been one of the first two or three out playing alone at least 3 times this season. i get that little tingling in my loins when i drive up and the lot is empty and the pro shop guys haven't even started pulling out the BIG SALE shit that even at 30-50% off is absurdly expensive.

i have to work harder when i play with other people, particularly people i don't know. i'm not chatty on the course and i find it really distracting to my mindspace to have to be considerate of others, as pathetic as that sounds. i guess that's part of the game, too, though.

Ya getting used to playing in front of strangers will either require a copious dose of humility, that you get your game straight, or that you just dont give a fuck.

I have been playing golf my entire life, and have just recently started to actually enjoy playing with strangers- probably correlated with the fact that my HC has dropped considerably over the last couple years.

[wooley12]

Read in Golf Mag or somewhere of a study they did with a bunch of 'average' golfers. Half had the pins to shoot at, the other half the pulled them so they just 'aimed for the center of the green'. Guess which group had the lower average score?

I remember reading an interview with one of the "New Breed" young turk touring pros. Maybe it was 5 years BT (Before Tiger).
Interviewer asked what he learned about golf his first year on tour. 'Never believe anything they say in Golf Digest." I was deep into my golf addiction at the time and it rang true.

I will say though that unless your playing 3-4 times a week the center of the green is where to aim.

[spook]

Ya getting used to playing in front of strangers will either require a copious dose of humility, that you get your game straight, or that you just dont give a fuck.

I have been playing golf my entire life, and have just recently started to actually enjoy playing with strangers- probably correlated with the fact that my HC has dropped considerably over the last couple years.

believe it or not, humility is not a problem for me in golf (or snowboarding). a bigger problem is confidence (in golf, at least. i feel remotely confident on my board until i see some 17 year old due something absurd, then i realize i'm good enough to have fun as long as i don't take myself too seriously), given that i have not paid the price to have confidence yet. since my game isn't straight, i generally go with something closer to i don't give a fuck without being reckless. it's easy to say i don't give a fuck if i play like shit. it's a little harder to admit to actually trying and play like shit.

i have played with several people i really enjoyed. i think i mentioned in an earlier post that compared to the asshole drunk golfers i used to wait on for several years, the people i've met playing were surprisingly nice and as i think i also mentioned, i was shocked how many times i got offered a toke. it just never occurred to me. i grew up with a dad telling me things like golf and skiing were elitist activities, and he was pretty resentful if he took the time to give a shit. i've since learned there's a whole other side to both sports, which are both comparatively recent in my life.

[spook]

There's a geriatric out here who carries only a putter and plays it for every shot.
-hits about a hundred yards

@Spook, I went to Junior High at Whitford, right across the street from Progress Downs (now RedTail), I've played that course too many times to count.

You can break 100 there, keep trying.

so do you like the course compared to the others in portland? i've played at all the city-owned courses (redtail, eastmoreland, rose city and heron lakes -- though only greenback, not great blue) and a few others in the vicinity. i played at glendoveer a ton when i first started, but once i started shooting 45 regularly, i figured it was time to play something harder, even if my skills didn't justify it. plus, redtail is 10 minutes from my house. i have to play cheap, so it's always earlybird, twilight or a coupon. glendoveer is a little cheaper, but the time and traffic to get there make it not worth it, though i do enjoy it since that's where i spent most of my first season (started at mckay, but it's comparatively barren and visually unattractive).

i've learned a lot playing at redtail probably 20+ times in a season and a quarter. i feel like i have a good chance to break 100 this season. too bad i had to leave the country for 2 months and ended up where, from what i've been able to ascertain so far, all golf is private club and prohibitively expensive.

i also think it's kind of funny that when you get to 15 at redtail, the green is in front of some big office buildings with tons of windows. sometimes it feels like there are probably a couple dozen sets of eyes watching people play all day and therefore watching me suck it up. a couple weeks ago i hit a 5 wood about 200 yards that just missed the water to the left and bounced on the green (and the groundskeeper had stopped to watch me and gave me a nice shot) and then sank a 25' putt one day, so i felt i had properly deceived them. then i played the next week and sent 3 in the water before giving up, so i guess they know the reality now.

[4matic]

I am thinking about heading to Half Moon Bay one of these Sundays to hit the twilight rate, if anyone from the bay wants to join me.

just got a late invite to a corporate scramble at HMB tomorrow. I'm not a fan of scramble golf but the it beats working and the food swag and prizes are worth it. Might be a decent day too. For $40 we could play twi at Wente or the The Bridges which are much nicer courses. twi starts late at HMB too.

[BirdRock]

Took me 15 years to figure out but golf is so much better know that I don't give a crap what I score. Used to practice and get pissed when I played poor. Index got down to 11.5 but I hated the game. Now I play once a quarter, smoke a cigar and don't give a shit if I shoot 82 or 102.

Still takes too long to get in 18 holes though....

[RockChalk]

So does anyone here ever try to get a round in pre-work?

I am not expected at the office until 9ish in the morning, just wondering how many holes I can expect to get in with like a 5:45/6AM tee time/

[TahoeJ]

^^^ Depends on the course. I've played 18 before work, finishing in 2:45 since I was the first one out.

And the advice that you should always aim at the center of the green unless you play 3-4 times a week is laughable. It depends on your skill level, obviously. Every hole is situational and a risk/reward analysis.

[Tye 1on]

also, somebody earlier mentioned that after you establish your handicap, when you exceed it you can just pick up. at least i think that was what the gist of it was, and i don't have time to look through the whole thread at the moment. is that actually true? seems i heard that somewhere else in a group of people and somebody objected and said that isn't true because your handicap isn't static.

Think you are referring to the Equitable Stroke Control part of the handicap system, otherwise known as Rule 4-3. Basically if your handicap on a given course is single digits, you can't card higher than a double, 10-19 a 7, 20+ an 8, etc. Keeps your handicap from being elevated because of blow-up holes, supposedly. It's on a hole-by-hole basis, not overall score.

There's a geriatric out here who carries only a putter and plays it for every shot.
-hits about a hundred yards

Somebody asked Johnny Miller once what club he used for a 100 yard shot. All of them, he said. They told him 'you don't understand the question', he said, 'no, you don't understand my answer' and went from driver to putter, hitting each 100...

[idiot]

Took me 15 years to figure out but golf is so much better know that I don't give a crap what I score. Used to practice and get pissed when I played poor. Index got down to 11.5 but I hated the game. Now I play once a quarter, smoke a cigar and don't give a shit if I shoot 82 or 102.

Still takes too long to get in 18 holes though....

I totally agree with this. I used to get frustrated when I wasn't playing well. My dad always told me that I wasn't good enough to play well, and that really pissed me off. Now I go out and take it way less seriously. I still shoot in the low 90s, but have so much more fun on the course.

[MotherFucker]

My dad always told me that I wasn't good enough to play well...

What a dick.

Skiballs: Just got back from practicing with the r7. Hits great but nice, easy, girl swings are my keys to hitting the driver straight. Once I get my tempo down, I'll start incorporating more of an agressive release through the ball to generate more speed.

Utilizing the "drop the back foot" drill, I was coming through the ball so much better through the inside. I have a really bad in-to-out swing path that needs a consistent fix and I think that drill will help so much.

So does anyone here ever try to get a round in pre-work?

I am not expected at the office until 9ish in the morning, just wondering how many holes I can expect to get in with like a 5:45/6AM tee time/

If you get out by 6 and ride, there's no way you'll not be able to finish in time to get to work by 9. I've played many early morning rounds and you just never see anyone else out there. Sure, maybe a couple others, but you can get away easily by telling them you have to be at the office.

[Steven S. Dallas]

I like to refer to a three-hour round as "Irul's mother"- ten minutes per hole.

[RockChalk]

If you get out by 6 and ride, there's no way you'll not be able to finish in time to get to work by 9. I've played many early morning rounds and you just never see anyone else out there. Sure, maybe a couple others, but you can get away easily by telling them you have to be at the office.

Thats what I was thinking too, ever since I started working full time I have rued the fact that I never have enough time to play 18 during the work week. Can't believe I didn't think of playing BEFORE work...just getting the hang of this real person/real world job thing.

[idiot]

MF'er

In fairness to my dad he would say the same of himself.

It was intended to mean that until I actually practiced all the time and could shoot well there was no reason to think I should shoot well

[spook]

MF'er

In fairness to my dad he would say the same of himself.

It was intended to mean that until I actually practiced all the time and could shoot well there was no reason to think I should shoot well

that is perfectly reasonable, though there might be other ways to say it. i like the idea. i think i mentioned it earlier somewhere or someone here said it - you're not good enough to be angry. i actually found that to be helpful to keep in mind when i was yelling fuck at myself on the course.

that was something i figured out by embarrassing myself my first season. i was playing with my friend and an older couple of guys and i was really struggling and angry and swearing -- not loud, but they could hear it. then one of them, who was very nice, made a comment about the way people behave on the golf course. he wasn't being a jerk at all, but trying to make a point.

what i took from it is that, unless i'm playing alone and outside of earshot of everybody, there are a bunch of other people who are paying money to be out there and enjoy themselves and if you're having a shitty game, fine, but don't impose your bullshit on everybody else you're playing with or in the vicinity. they may still be having fun but all you're doing is adding negativity. of course, that lesson can be applied just about anywhere.

[DeathVan]

so do you like the course compared to the others in portland? ,

even if my skills didn't justify it.

i feel like i have a good chance to break 100 this season. too bad i had to leave the country for 2 months and ended up where, from what i've been able to ascertain so far, all golf is private club and prohibitively expensive.

I have a hard time calling it RedTail, it will always be Progress to me. I think they did a good job when they re-did the course (specifically the back nine -now the front nine- years ago)
before that it was pretty marginal on the the backside (nearer the range)

Bang for the buck I think the best options are:
-Progress / RedTail (fair, not too punishing, wide open),
-Eastmoreland (I really like this course, lot's of variety to the front and back),
-Great Blue at Heron Lakes (never played the Green, get out there on the Blue it is probably the prettiest and most challenging of all the city courses),
-Glendoveer (old school, love the huge trees, pretty easy as there is basically no rough)

some others that are worth exploring
-Quail Valley (out in Banks, nice design and a fun course, worth the trip)
-Colwood and Broadmoor (both cheap and empty, not real challenging courses, but nice walks, both out north on Columbia Blvd)
-Kilarney West (near and like McKay, kinda shitty, but something different and definitely cheap)

-there are also some fun courses out on the coast and towards Hood that we used to make a day of, some worth it others not (I'll elaborate if you'd like)

I was lucky and grew up playing a lot with my grandpa, I worked at Portland GC and had friends working at other clubs so I also got to play most of the private courses in the area as well, if you can, go out if you're ever invited. Then worked out at Black Butte in college as a greenkeeper (we kept it all green, not just the greens) and played most all of central Oregon both private and public as well as the coast during those summers, such fun times, I reminisce about those times and my handicap back then...

DO NOT worry about your skills not being up to snuff, absolute hacks play every course everyday, get out there and go for it! you might be surprised what you can do with a positive attitude and a relaxed swing.

Where are you heading to? even a fancy club has a range and a chipping and putting green (just gear up like a rich dude and act the part, asking questions of whether people belong or not is often frowned upon by management).
-I too will be away for the summer and won't play until August, leaving in 11 days.

edit: I should have mentioned Lakeview Par 3 Golf Challenge right on Vancouver Lake,
the "Hardest Par 3 Course in the World"-as stated by the Guinness Book
-Absolutely a hoot, bring extra balls and have a few beers, you get to go for some of the craziest shots there

[GeezerSteve]

If you are in the mood to drive a bit, Trysting Tree (OSU's home course) in Corvallis is a fine course in fantastic condition for a good price. I played there Sunday, the most recent annual skins game with a law school bud, always on the day after running The Mac.

[4matic]

also, somebody earlier mentioned that after you establish your handicap, when you exceed it you can just pick up. at least i think that was what the gist of it was, and i don't have time to look through the whole thread at the moment. is that actually true? seems i heard that somewhere else in a group of people and somebody objected and said that isn't true because your handicap isn't static.

http://www.usga.org/handicapping/pub...ng-Your-Score/

The people you played with are wrong. Once you have an established handicap you can "pick up" anytime you reach your equitable strokes or for several other reasons with regard to score and speeding up play.

[4matic]

Rock Chalk: I played Half Moon Bay Ocean Course today. The course is in superb, best ever condition. The greens are immaculate.

My scramble team bogied two par threes. Totally my fault; we could have won the event with two pars at ten under..

[DasBlunt]

golf for gapers requires much forgiveness and humility when played between snow seasons.
if some dude feels better about himself because he hits the ball better, i dont care.
keep score at home
bobby

So true. When I play with pros, it is not your score anyone cares about, it is the money you won or lost. When I first started, I would announce my score proudly, the Tin Cup of the area I lived in at the time would say " no one gives a fuck what you scored ,only, did you beat someone?"


Sent from planet earth and an iPhone

[wooley12]

To me, the most fun golf is a me against you round of match play with handicap equalizer and a little bit of money on the line. Keeps everyone focused. I find that most still play it like it's a stroke play round and don't know how to use their handicap strokes to their advantage.

[skiballs]

This is why you only get 80% of your handicap in match play and no shots on 8 , 9 , 17 or 18 .
I always try to make guys play for more money than they a used to , tends to make um uncomfortable .

[spook]

i like the idea of match play better than stroke play. my buddy i usually play with rarely counts all his penalty strokes and then always scores lower in stroke play and i don't care enough to say anything about it and am too wrapped up in my own shit to count his. i count everything according to the rules for my score. i'm just trying to learn to play so i don't give a shit that much, but i told him this summer we're playing match play. though since i don't have a handicap yet i wouldn't know how to use it to my advantage. i wouldn't play anybody for money at this point.

[wooley12]

90% of the time I play as a "walk on" single with folks I don't know and, like me, don't have an established USGA handicap. I've found that if I ask them "what do you usually shoot" and use the differential between their "usual" and my "usual" the match isn't decided until late on the back 9. With a stranger, I'll suggest we play for the ball the loser holes out with on the 18th. Just to keep it interesting. When I play with any of my 3 brothers it's always match play. Trash talk is encouraged and expected. We have a #1 hole flag that someone "aquired" and that's the winners reward to hold until lost in a future match.