I think the last time I played 17 I pretty much skull fucked an iron into and off the back bank and it came back onto the green ... fortunately the pin was in the back and I had a tap in par
17 is easily one of the best holes at your humble club ... short pins give you a scoring club but zero margin for error on the miss short/left/right whereas deep pins can give you a nice backstop to play long IF you are able to execute your shot.
Pin placement on Sat was lower green just like in this pic. I hit the upper green with my 7 iron. Got lucky on the read on very long put going down hill and had a makeable par put.
I usually have epic melt downs on most Tetherow holes but somehow this one came together for me.
Consistency is what make a great golfer.
You couldn't be more accurate about consistency
I was playing on Friday and had a stretch of 7 hole that I played at 1 over with 3 putts that lipped out ... it wasn't that I necessarily played great in that stretch but I wasn't making mistakes that I couldn't overcome
I'm pretty convinced that I could shave 2-3 shots off my handicap by just being smarter in my decisions on the course ... and it's an area that I tend to think I'm better at than most people that I play with
I agree with decision making a big difference, but I don't play for money and want to get my money's worth. If I can cut a little off a corner and drive a green or set up going for a par 5 in two I'm doing it.
My home course has a very reachable par 5 9th. The pond on the left cuts into the front half of the green and makes it very narrow, and there are trees guarding the right side. The opening is about 15-20 yards wide. A good drive with the usual wind will leave about 200 yards, maybe less, but it's reachable for me out to about 260 if I hit a weak drive because of the slope and wind. The ball rolls forever.
I've thrown away more sub 80 rounds on that hole than any other but I can't resist. I go for the green every time I have a clear look. The pond catches at least half of them. I get pissed at myself but I have accepted that hole as either a birdie or a lost ball and likely bogie.
Real golf aficionados prefer the stinky smoke of a fresh bowl or joint. Not the faggy edibles.
I'm a pretty bad pot head but I'm way too mentally fragile to smoke and golf. At least I always was in the past. I haven't tried in in years. I'd olay poorly and just be pissed at myself the whole time.
I definitely welcome the smell of smoke from my playing partners, but if they need to bump some reggae to enhance the vibe they can do it through some fucking ear buds. Fuckers.
I'll give you a great example of what I mean by decision making (at least for me)
Was playing yesterday and was on a Par 3 that was about 166 or so to a back pin. I hit my 7 160 and 6 170 or thereabouts. The Par 3 playing had water the entire left side of the green and a bunker to the right ... a right miss wasn't great because everything slopes away down to the water.
As I was choosing clubs my thought process was hit the 7 because it's better to be under the hole than flying the green which could have been possible with the 6. What I failed to factor in was that subconsciously I would know that the 7 needed a little extra to get all the way back and I'd swing a little harder trying to get the most out of it ... problem is that my miss when I do that is getting my hips through too quick and missing left
Of course I got through too quick and knew right off the club face that I was in the water
Decision making is so difficult because even when you make the "right" decision you also have to set the "right" expectation on the shot ... in this case realizing that a 7 to the front to middle of the green was an acceptable outcome. I ended up hitting a 2nd ball, set the proper expectations for a front half of the green shot, and landed on the dance floor.
It's the greatest and most maddening game there is ...
As an aside since there's been a lot of talk with Rory and wedges ... my $0.02 on it is that too often I see him trying to hit the perfect shot on wedges (particularly to back pins) and then juices the over the green. What's the tour average from 100 yards ... 20-25 feet? It's at least 90% mental and having the wrong expectations.
On Rory’s wedges, he does air mail greens a lot. Never really see him the flighted low one that good wedge players use a lot, too much of the throw up in the air as high as possible. No one is missing long with the flighted wedge.
Good description @Tequilla. I have a similar thought process on approach shots and par 3s. For me there are subtle things about my timing, feel wtc that vary every time out. Whether I try to juice a 7 or go easy with a 6 depends on how I feel. Some days I'm better off swinging near 100%, some days im feeling more of a knockdown game. Some days I should just punch and run a hybrid on every shot 150 yards or longer. That kind of decision making, and how early in the round I figure out what's working the best, can make a huge difference in my score.
On Rory’s wedges, he does air mail greens a lot. Never really see him the flighted low one that good wedge players use a lot, too much of the throw up in the air as high as possible. No one is missing long with the flighted wedge.
Couldn't agree more. I don't always execute it but I try to flight most of my wedge shots low. Generally this means clubbing up and hitting it easy without a bunch of spin. When I'm really feeling it I can play it low and hard (lol) with spin. I laugh at my playing partners who blast away with their wedges. They don't know how far the shot is going but get lucky often enough to keep doing it. I love all the scalded shots over the green and sky balls that fall short in between the lucky ones.
Good description @Tequilla. I have a similar thought process on approach shots and par 3s. For me there are subtle things about my timing, feel wtc that vary every time out. Whether I try to juice a 7 or go easy with a 6 depends on how I feel. Some days I'm better off swinging near 100%, some days im feeling more of a knockdown game. Some days I should just punch and run a hybrid on every shot 150 yards or longer. That kind of decision making, and how early in the round I figure out what's working the best, can make a huge difference in my score.
On Rory’s wedges, he does air mail greens a lot. Never really see him the flighted low one that good wedge players use a lot, too much of the throw up in the air as high as possible. No one is missing long with the flighted wedge.
Couldn't agree more. I don't always execute it but I try to flight most of my wedge shots low. Generally this means clubbing up and hitting it easy without a bunch of spin. When I'm really feeling it I can play it low and hard (lol) with spin. I laugh at my playing partners who blast away with their wedges. They don't know how far the shot is going but get lucky often enough to keep doing it. I love all the scalded shots over the green and sky balls that fall short in between the lucky ones.
If I could play every hole like my 3 best holes of they day, I'd be a low 80s guy.
Where I find it amusing is that most people can't hit their yardages consistently ... for some clubs that makes sense but I'd say for 6 irons through at least PW you should be relatively consistent with your yardages on non mishits
With my PW for example I have 3 shots that I play:
Full PW is about 125
1/2 PW is about 100
3/4 PW is about 115
I don't necessarily try to hit with different lofts outside of whatever the contact is and the nature of the swing (1/2 swing typically is lower and goes from there)
Where I get in the most trouble with the 1/2 and 3/4 swings is I find it easier to lose balance in those swings and get a little chunky at times ... much more likely to chunk than to hit thin
With a 56 and 60 ... it's much more hit or miss for me in terms of contact on a full swing and I generally try to avoid those swings unless there is a compelling reason (typically I have to be swinging well to feel confident with those clubs)
If I'm in the fairway 50 yards with an open green ... much more likely to hit an 8 or 9 pitch and run than I am to try to loft something up in the air
On Rory’s wedges, he does air mail greens a lot. Never really see him the flighted low one that good wedge players use a lot, too much of the throw up in the air as high as possible. No one is missing long with the flighted wedge.
I added "the skipper" about 20 years ago, and saved strokes for sure. Back in the stance, one-club-up, hop, hop, stop. Thank you David Toms...
On Rory’s wedges, he does air mail greens a lot. Never really see him the flighted low one that good wedge players use a lot, too much of the throw up in the air as high as possible. No one is missing long with the flighted wedge.
I added "the skipper" about 20 years ago, and saved strokes for sure. Back in the stance, one-club-up, hop, hop, stop. Thank you David Toms...
140 yard sawed off 7 iron to back pin on a shelf… Orgasmic
Where I find it amusing is that most people can't hit their yardages consistently ... for some clubs that makes sense but I'd say for 6 irons through at least PW you should be relatively consistent with your yardages on non mishits
With my PW for example I have 3 shots that I play:
Full PW is about 125
1/2 PW is about 100
3/4 PW is about 115
I don't necessarily try to hit with different lofts outside of whatever the contact is and the nature of the swing (1/2 swing typically is lower and goes from there)
Where I get in the most trouble with the 1/2 and 3/4 swings is I find it easier to lose balance in those swings and get a little chunky at times ... much more likely to chunk than to hit thin
With a 56 and 60 ... it's much more hit or miss for me in terms of contact on a full swing and I generally try to avoid those swings unless there is a compelling reason (typically I have to be swinging well to feel confident with those clubs)
If I'm in the fairway 50 yards with an open green ... much more likely to hit an 8 or 9 pitch and run than I am to try to loft something up in the air
What are you measuring yardage to? Landing or total including roll?
Cause distance can vary significantly by lie and temperature. In many cases I can get two extra clubs worth of distance with a flyer rough lie, or if the ground is hard I will get 15 extra yards of roll so need to club down.
I try to factor all that in. I’ve airmailed fewer greens by really checking the rough lie.
Dunne, who is also the president of Seminole Golf Club, was also asked about his previous comments regarding LIV Golf, the PIF and Saudi Arabia. Piper Sandler (formerly known as Sandler O’Neill & Partners) was located on the 104th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center and lost 66 employees during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
“Every day the first thing I think about is that, several times during the day, I think about it and the last thing I think about at night is that,” Dunne said. “That has not changed since that day and I’m not alone in that. I would guarantee you that every one of those family members has that same condition. It’s just a reality of how unbelievably sad and awful that day was.
“I am quite certain and have had conversations with a lot of knowledgeable people that the people that I’m dealing with [from the PIF] had nothing to do with [the Sept. 11 attacks]. And if someone can find someone that unequivocally was involved with it, I’ll kill him myself. We don’t have to wait around.”
Where I find it amusing is that most people can't hit their yardages consistently ... for some clubs that makes sense but I'd say for 6 irons through at least PW you should be relatively consistent with your yardages on non mishits
With my PW for example I have 3 shots that I play:
Full PW is about 125
1/2 PW is about 100
3/4 PW is about 115
I don't necessarily try to hit with different lofts outside of whatever the contact is and the nature of the swing (1/2 swing typically is lower and goes from there)
Where I get in the most trouble with the 1/2 and 3/4 swings is I find it easier to lose balance in those swings and get a little chunky at times ... much more likely to chunk than to hit thin
With a 56 and 60 ... it's much more hit or miss for me in terms of contact on a full swing and I generally try to avoid those swings unless there is a compelling reason (typically I have to be swinging well to feel confident with those clubs)
If I'm in the fairway 50 yards with an open green ... much more likely to hit an 8 or 9 pitch and run than I am to try to loft something up in the air
What are you measuring yardage to? Landing or total including roll?
Cause distance can vary significantly by lie and temperature. In many cases I can get two extra clubs worth of distance with a flyer rough lie, or if the ground is hard I will get 15 extra yards of roll so need to club down.
I try to factor all that in. I’ve airmailed fewer greens by really checking the rough lie.
Those are stock yardages and typically carry yardages ... most greens I'm a 1 bounce and spin guy that typically spins back close to my ball mark
For very firm greens I typically will adjust down my yardages by 5-10 yards allowing for additional roll out
Lies in the rough obviously can be a huge factor ... I wouldn't say I typically hit a ton of big big fliers. The two things that for me are bigger challenges in the rough are grabbing the club face and getting a pull out of it and impact of the wind. The biggest fliers I hit are generally in situations where I also have a lot of down wind behind me. You do make a good point though about losing spin and that I'll factor in more by evaluating where my miss needs to be (short if to back pins, long if to front pins assuming that short is no good).
Where I find it amusing is that most people can't hit their yardages consistently ... for some clubs that makes sense but I'd say for 6 irons through at least PW you should be relatively consistent with your yardages on non mishits
With my PW for example I have 3 shots that I play:
Full PW is about 125
1/2 PW is about 100
3/4 PW is about 115
I don't necessarily try to hit with different lofts outside of whatever the contact is and the nature of the swing (1/2 swing typically is lower and goes from there)
Where I get in the most trouble with the 1/2 and 3/4 swings is I find it easier to lose balance in those swings and get a little chunky at times ... much more likely to chunk than to hit thin
With a 56 and 60 ... it's much more hit or miss for me in terms of contact on a full swing and I generally try to avoid those swings unless there is a compelling reason (typically I have to be swinging well to feel confident with those clubs)
If I'm in the fairway 50 yards with an open green ... much more likely to hit an 8 or 9 pitch and run than I am to try to loft something up in the air
What are you measuring yardage to? Landing or total including roll?
Cause distance can vary significantly by lie and temperature. In many cases I can get two extra clubs worth of distance with a flyer rough lie, or if the ground is hard I will get 15 extra yards of roll so need to club down.
I try to factor all that in. I’ve airmailed fewer greens by really checking the rough lie.
Those are stock yardages and typically carry yardages ... most greens I'm a 1 bounce and spin guy that typically spins back close to my ball mark
For very firm greens I typically will adjust down my yardages by 5-10 yards allowing for additional roll out
Lies in the rough obviously can be a huge factor ... I wouldn't say I typically hit a ton of big big fliers. The two things that for me are bigger challenges in the rough are grabbing the club face and getting a pull out of it and impact of the wind. The biggest fliers I hit are generally in situations where I also have a lot of down wind behind me. You do make a good point though about losing spin and that I'll factor in more by evaluating where my miss needs to be (short if to back pins, long if to front pins assuming that short is no good).
Downwind wedges are a guessing game. Could sail and go forever, but my experience is that on a normal swing they more often get knocked out of the air before they apex with enough wind and don't carry what you were expecting. So play a flighted one if you have margin for error on the carry to prevent the wind knocking it down and avoid guessing wrong.
Where I find it amusing is that most people can't hit their yardages consistently ... for some clubs that makes sense but I'd say for 6 irons through at least PW you should be relatively consistent with your yardages on non mishits
With my PW for example I have 3 shots that I play:
Full PW is about 125
1/2 PW is about 100
3/4 PW is about 115
I don't necessarily try to hit with different lofts outside of whatever the contact is and the nature of the swing (1/2 swing typically is lower and goes from there)
Where I get in the most trouble with the 1/2 and 3/4 swings is I find it easier to lose balance in those swings and get a little chunky at times ... much more likely to chunk than to hit thin
With a 56 and 60 ... it's much more hit or miss for me in terms of contact on a full swing and I generally try to avoid those swings unless there is a compelling reason (typically I have to be swinging well to feel confident with those clubs)
If I'm in the fairway 50 yards with an open green ... much more likely to hit an 8 or 9 pitch and run than I am to try to loft something up in the air
What are you measuring yardage to? Landing or total including roll?
Cause distance can vary significantly by lie and temperature. In many cases I can get two extra clubs worth of distance with a flyer rough lie, or if the ground is hard I will get 15 extra yards of roll so need to club down.
I try to factor all that in. I’ve airmailed fewer greens by really checking the rough lie.
Those are stock yardages and typically carry yardages ... most greens I'm a 1 bounce and spin guy that typically spins back close to my ball mark
For very firm greens I typically will adjust down my yardages by 5-10 yards allowing for additional roll out
Lies in the rough obviously can be a huge factor ... I wouldn't say I typically hit a ton of big big fliers. The two things that for me are bigger challenges in the rough are grabbing the club face and getting a pull out of it and impact of the wind. The biggest fliers I hit are generally in situations where I also have a lot of down wind behind me. You do make a good point though about losing spin and that I'll factor in more by evaluating where my miss needs to be (short if to back pins, long if to front pins assuming that short is no good).
Downwind wedges are a guessing game. Could sail and go forever, but my experience is that on a normal swing they more often get knocked out of the air before they apex with enough wind and don't carry what you were expecting. So play a flighted one if you have margin for error on the carry to prevent the wind knocking it down and avoid guessing wrong.
I tend to have a fairly high ball flight so if I can get the ball launched with the wind I’ll gain that yardage
The one that I feel most people don’t play right is the into the wind shot that plays downhill … most think the downhill and wind cancel but they don’t. In fact because of the downhill the ball stays in the air longer and thus gets hit harder by the wind … have to add an extra club there
Comments
My home course has a very reachable par 5 9th. The pond on the left cuts into the front half of the green and makes it very narrow, and there are trees guarding the right side. The opening is about 15-20 yards wide. A good drive with the usual wind will leave about 200 yards, maybe less, but it's reachable for me out to about 260 if I hit a weak drive because of the slope and wind. The ball rolls forever.
I've thrown away more sub 80 rounds on that hole than any other but I can't resist. I go for the green every time I have a clear look. The pond catches at least half of them. I get pissed at myself but I have accepted that hole as either a birdie or a lost ball and likely bogie. I'm a pretty bad pot head but I'm way too mentally fragile to smoke and golf. At least I always was in the past. I haven't tried in in years. I'd olay poorly and just be pissed at myself the whole time.
I definitely welcome the smell of smoke from my playing partners, but if they need to bump some reggae to enhance the vibe they can do it through some fucking ear buds. Fuckers.
I'll give you a great example of what I mean by decision making (at least for me)
Was playing yesterday and was on a Par 3 that was about 166 or so to a back pin. I hit my 7 160 and 6 170 or thereabouts. The Par 3 playing had water the entire left side of the green and a bunker to the right ... a right miss wasn't great because everything slopes away down to the water.
As I was choosing clubs my thought process was hit the 7 because it's better to be under the hole than flying the green which could have been possible with the 6. What I failed to factor in was that subconsciously I would know that the 7 needed a little extra to get all the way back and I'd swing a little harder trying to get the most out of it ... problem is that my miss when I do that is getting my hips through too quick and missing left
Of course I got through too quick and knew right off the club face that I was in the water
Decision making is so difficult because even when you make the "right" decision you also have to set the "right" expectation on the shot ... in this case realizing that a 7 to the front to middle of the green was an acceptable outcome. I ended up hitting a 2nd ball, set the proper expectations for a front half of the green shot, and landed on the dance floor.
It's the greatest and most maddening game there is ...
As an aside since there's been a lot of talk with Rory and wedges ... my $0.02 on it is that too often I see him trying to hit the perfect shot on wedges (particularly to back pins) and then juices the over the green. What's the tour average from 100 yards ... 20-25 feet? It's at least 90% mental and having the wrong expectations.
With my PW for example I have 3 shots that I play:
Full PW is about 125
1/2 PW is about 100
3/4 PW is about 115
I don't necessarily try to hit with different lofts outside of whatever the contact is and the nature of the swing (1/2 swing typically is lower and goes from there)
Where I get in the most trouble with the 1/2 and 3/4 swings is I find it easier to lose balance in those swings and get a little chunky at times ... much more likely to chunk than to hit thin
With a 56 and 60 ... it's much more hit or miss for me in terms of contact on a full swing and I generally try to avoid those swings unless there is a compelling reason (typically I have to be swinging well to feel confident with those clubs)
If I'm in the fairway 50 yards with an open green ... much more likely to hit an 8 or 9 pitch and run than I am to try to loft something up in the air
Cause distance can vary significantly by lie and temperature. In many cases I can get two extra clubs worth of distance with a flyer rough lie, or if the ground is hard I will get 15 extra yards of roll so need to club down.
I try to factor all that in. I’ve airmailed fewer greens by really checking the rough lie.
https://golfchannel.com/news/motivated-desire-unite-jimmy-dunne-explains-how-why-pga-tour-and-saudis-aligned
Dunne, who is also the president of Seminole Golf Club, was also asked about his previous comments regarding LIV Golf, the PIF and Saudi Arabia. Piper Sandler (formerly known as Sandler O’Neill & Partners) was located on the 104th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center and lost 66 employees during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
“Every day the first thing I think about is that, several times during the day, I think about it and the last thing I think about at night is that,” Dunne said. “That has not changed since that day and I’m not alone in that. I would guarantee you that every one of those family members has that same condition. It’s just a reality of how unbelievably sad and awful that day was.
“I am quite certain and have had conversations with a lot of knowledgeable people that the people that I’m dealing with [from the PIF] had nothing to do with [the Sept. 11 attacks]. And if someone can find someone that unequivocally was involved with it, I’ll kill him myself. We don’t have to wait around.”
For very firm greens I typically will adjust down my yardages by 5-10 yards allowing for additional roll out
Lies in the rough obviously can be a huge factor ... I wouldn't say I typically hit a ton of big big fliers. The two things that for me are bigger challenges in the rough are grabbing the club face and getting a pull out of it and impact of the wind. The biggest fliers I hit are generally in situations where I also have a lot of down wind behind me. You do make a good point though about losing spin and that I'll factor in more by evaluating where my miss needs to be (short if to back pins, long if to front pins assuming that short is no good).
The one that I feel most people don’t play right is the into the wind shot that plays downhill … most think the downhill and wind cancel but they don’t. In fact because of the downhill the ball stays in the air longer and thus gets hit harder by the wind … have to add an extra club there