The MM Golf Thread

[WRXtranceformed]

An 86 on a short course and not having played for a while isn't bad at all! I have found that my putting and short game are what really need to be worked on...putting imo is so hard day to day and course to course. I get more amazed when I watch pros consistently sink 20-25ft+ putts than I do watching them put a short or long iron shot 5 ft from the pin....because once you get your aim and distance dialed in as a pro you should be pretty consistent with those shots.

Watching McIlroy sink that huge putt with like 5 feet of break in person on the 18th at Quail Hollow last year was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in live sports. That was the putt that sealed the course record for him.

[Steve85]

An 86 on a short course and not having played for a while isn't bad at all! I have found that my putting and short game are what really need to be worked on...putting imo is so hard day to day and course to course. I get more amazed when I watch pros consistently sink 20-25ft+ putts than I do watching them put a short or long iron shot 5 ft from the pin....because once you get your aim and distance dialed in as a pro you should be pretty consistent with those shots.

Watching McIlroy sink that huge putt with like 5 feet of break in person on the 18th at Quail Hollow last year was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in live sports. That was the putt that sealed the course record for him.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but yeah, on a par 72 course, 36 strokes are given to the putter, the other 36 a mix of 13 other clubs. Having a short game allows you to score WAY more consistently. It was the first thing to go when I stopped playing hard. When Tiger was at the top of his game his distance helped, but it was making more of the 12-18 footers than anyone else that really put him ahead. Routinely sinking them for eagles on par 5s.

Cool! I need to get back out to an event. The way the ball comes off their clubs is amazing. I feel like I hit a monster drive and find it was 260-270 (not my average by any stretch) and realize these guys bomb it passed that by 60-70 yards.

[WRXtranceformed]

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but yeah, on a par 72 course, 36 strokes are given to the putter, the other 36 a mix of 13 other clubs. Having a short game allows you to score WAY more consistently. It was the first thing to go when I stopped playing hard. When Tiger was at the top of his game his distance helped, but it was making more of the 12-18 footers than anyone else that really put him ahead. Routinely sinking them for eagles on par 5s.

Cool! I need to get back out to an event. The way the ball comes off their clubs is amazing. I feel like I hit a monster drive and find it was 260-270 (not my average by any stretch) and realize these guys bomb it passed that by 60-70 yards.

You're so right. I have a buddy who is a decent golfer (has been playing from high school days) and he has arms like wet noodles. I mean the guy probably weighs like 125 lbs wet. I have never seen him drive more than 240ish yards but he consistently shoots in the 80s because his chipping and putting game are on point.

I actually just switched my grip again more to a modified grip (back and front hands rotated properly but no pinky overlap or lock) and I have been consistently hitting the ball further and straighter again. Because I've broken my left hand twice I just can't get the strength i need to power through the ball without a full handed grip. If I can get more consistent with my chipping and putting (I've gotten better but I will have a 3 putt every now and then) I should be able to be consistently in the mid-low 80s with the way I have been striking the ball.

[Steve85]

With the kids away at golf camp the wife and I played 9 holes Monday night and tonight at Rock Harbor. Tee to green was again good and putting terrible. More 3 putts than 2 putts. Although I'm going tee to green pretty well, I want to work on not coming over the top. I fade the ball unless I get hands turned over and then it's a dead pull. My divots, from say 150 yards, point 30yds left of the green even when the ball flight is right on it. Golf is a game were the right mix of mistakes can yield success, as long as you can repeat them. I'm losing a ton of yardage though and damnit I just want to be good by doing all the right things.

It's time to go to videotape again. Hopefully get some footage in the next couple days.

Also going to work on putting at the practice green with the boys whenever we get a chance.

[.paul]

any NoVA guys want to golf ? I am getting 2 -3 rounds in a week, but play mid week a lot.

[WRXtranceformed]

Shot an 83 for the first time ever a few weeks back



It was all in the putting and not losing balls. I made a small change in my putting and it helped tremendously.

I wish I was as good at real golf as I am at TW '12:

[.paul]

hahaha - I should buy this TW golf for a gaming system. I think i have a PS3 somewhere.

Good job the 83.

[.paul]

joey - if oyu always got your bag in the car, lets golf - let me know what works best for you, since i assume you live in ffx as well.

[Steve85]

Nice Lee! Looks like you also stayed away from the "big hole" that can turn a 83-84 into an 88 in a hurry. Glad to hear the putting was good. Still liking the Odyssey? I use the same putter, I need to fix the crooked though.

Gotta brag on my boy... We sent the boys to golf camp where my parents live at Bryce Resort. In the tournament, Michael (7) shot a 15 for 3 holes from the PGA kids tees. Best score ever in the age group :thumbup: . It's easy for kids that age to 4-5 putt each hole even if they do get on the green in a couple shots. Here's his mention in the Washington Post winning his "division".



We played a par 3 course with the boys on Friday and he parred the last hole. Put it on the green from 88 yards and two-putted.

Wifey and I went out to Rock Harbor for quick 9 last Wednesday evening and I really exaggerated dropping my hands inside to prevent the outside-in swing. It feels funky as hell but It's working great, ball flight is much straighter. Shot a 41 including a hero shot long 3 wood to setup an eagle attempt.

We're playing again this Sunday which will give me more time to work on the new swing. I haven't played this much in years and I'm really liking it.

[WRXtranceformed]

Dude that is awesome about your son!! One of my only regrets is that I spent all of those years playing soccer when I could have learned to play golf at a young age and be a LOT better at it now. My family didn't have a lot of money growing up though so there's no way they could have afforded for me to play enough to get good at it. Oh well.

Nice job on the new swing. It takes a lot of guts and practice to switch things up but I'm glad it's giving a good result. I have found that I have had to go back to a "baseball" style grip (no pinky intertwine or overlap) because my fingers just get too fatigued with a "proper" method and I can't get enough power on my shots with such a weak grip. I have broken my left hand and fingers twice so I think I just don't have enough strength in them to do it....my pinky and forefinger KILL if I play an entire round doing an overlap. I do still rotate my hands over properly, my bottom hand is just lower on the grip than it technically should be. As long as I can keep hitting power shots where I want them and stay in the 80s or better then I decided not to mess with it. Putting and chipping around the green is where I still need the most practice.

[WRXtranceformed]

Oh and dude nice job on the eagle attempt!! I have only legitimately had one eagle attempt and I blew the 20+ft putt

I do still like the Odyssey, especially since the guy who coached me fixed the grip that was messed up from the factory. It has a good feel, my putting problems have really just been from poor technique and not enough practice.

[.paul]

I played in the treacherous heat yesterday, and the crappy Twin Lakes Oaks course. Shot a 80, 39/41. It was brutally hot, and just not that fun to play. The greens there need to be re-done, or pressed a lot more, you can whack it at the hole and it just goes straight and in or relatively close.

This weather is killing me wanting to play. On a side note, i finally upgraded my 3 wood from god knows how old, to the new taylormade 2.0 3 wood. Finally went from a steel shaft to graphite. People always poke fun when they see the steel shaft on the 3 wood.

[Steve85]

Nice!

I played with a steel shaft driver for a short bit, real short bit. Irons are steel shafts, but woods are graphite.

Paul - what's your take on the courses in NOVA, which do you think is the best value? Even though I work in Chantilly I never play here so have no idea.

Do you guys use GPS either in the cart or a hand held?

I know PGA says it's a no-no which is really kind of retarded. The pros go out there with yardage books that are akin to GPS with the caddies doing yardage from virtually every blade of grass and tree. I probably lose 4-5 strokes in a round at a strange course just being out of position and not able to choose the right club. Some courses only mark the cart path, some have flat hard to see markers only in the middle of the fairway, and various other sad attempts at giving the player a quickly identified marker. I'd like to get a GPS unit but they are still pretty pricey. I wish the courses I played most often had them in the cart.

[Steve85]

Dude that is awesome about your son!! One of my only regrets is that I spent all of those years playing soccer when I could have learned to play golf at a young age and be a LOT better at it now. My family didn't have a lot of money growing up though so there's no way they could have afforded for me to play enough to get good at it. Oh well.

Yeah, it's pretty cool to watch him. I don't teach or put any pressure on when we play so that it keeps it fun for them. They go out in the yard and hit balls on their own so I know they're having fun. It can get pricey, but for now $7 for a par 3 course, that is pretty well maintained, does the trick. Works for us too, $10 and a par 3 course will teach you how to score anywhere.

[.paul]

Steve, the courses around here are DEFINITELY pricey for what you get. <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.golfnow.com">www.golfnow.com</a><!-- w --> is what depicts where I play. Any of the Raspberry courses, Bull Run, Old Hickory, Raspberry Falls, are worth the 50 dollars on golf now. If you can get on, Piedmont, Heritage Hunt, Dominion Valley are great tracks. They are private so don't get much play.

My favorite courses that I play, are Piedmont & Heritage Hunt, public, Old Hickory, Raspberry Falls, and Bull Run.

I live 2 miles from Penderbrook, it's probably the SLOWEST course but I get on for 25 bucks, so I play there often. I think out near you the courses are cheaper and nicer for the money. There are quiet a few near Shennendoah that are AMAZING but never get played cause no one from the metro area wants to drive there.

For new courses and distances, I have a Bushnell Tour v2 for distances. It's not fair to play a course you don't know and are hitting blind into the greens. I paid 150 on ebay for my Bushnell used. I wish I knew the green depths and so forth. There are apps for the droid and blackberry and iphone that have great GPS tools. But on the droid it DRAINED my battery, blackberry has a free one, <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.bbgpsgolf.com/">http://www.bbgpsgolf.com/</a><!-- m --> best free app ever. I haven't tried any of the iphone apps, cause I got that after I got the bushnell. I just wish i knew green depths.

I would love to get a MM Golf game going

As for a history of my game, it's low 80's and high 70's. But I have my sporatic 88's. I used to be a 4 handicap, but I've put on size since highschool.

[WRXtranceformed]

Some of the courses I remember playing on up in NoVA was Virginia National and I think Fairfax National in Chantilly? I think that's what it was called. The Chantilly one was a good course actually from what I remember.

And yeah I am with you on rangefinders, I mean none of us who go out and play are pros and you're right about the caddy thing for pros anyway. I don't look at a laser or GPS as a cheating tool mostly because most courses IMO are not marked well enough. GPS carts are awesome though! If we have a friendly tournament we will all refrain from using distance tools but golf is hard enough as it is to not know your proper distances.

For most courses I have a Droid app called SkyDroid. I think it was like $1.99? And it is just as accurate as any of my friends' GPS's...you just have to make sure your course is in their database. 98% of the ones I've played on are in it now at this point. It drains the battery but not too bad. A lot of the courses have distance to hazard, front and back green etc. Check it out it's a good one!