Intruders-Alert

We were up and running this morning for our 7:15am tee time at the Golden Nugget casino here in town..
Being it's a casino run golf course and it's always in immaculate condition year around so there's no reason(s) for any excuses why one wouldn't shoot a
decent round.. it's not the courses fault..
Being we were the first group off on number one tee box we finished up at 10:30 with our round, we always start early to avoid the punishing temps
after 1 pm.
I started off like a fireball with eight straight pars and I'm thinking maybe today is the day I break 75 again, but mid-way through the back nine my legs gave out but still managed to shoot a respectable round of 80.

That's three straight rounds of 80 for the last three Mondays. But I'll be getting a break in about a month and a half when I'll turn the big 80 and I'll be shooting my age on a regular basis (Fingers crossed)

The two guys I play with are both in their late 40's and they both are fairly good golfers, one is real good (3 handicapper) and shoot's in the low 70's and high 60's and the other carries a 9 handicap and shoots in the mid 80's ( today he was off with a 95.)
I'm still carrying a 9 handicap and hitting from the senior tees, #3 tees. the other two play from the men's tees, #2 tees.

My sweet wife keeps reminding me I'm lucky enough that I can still play a decent round and still enjoy myself.

ps: I've yet to throw tantrums or golf clubs during my many rounds. I learned long ago that I'd still have to get happy in the same shoes.

That is not too bad SJ. I haven't been out yet this year but likely we'll go next week sometime. Not as good as I was 25 year's ago but I can't play like I used to. Still average about 84 when I am just enjoying the time out.

That's the gist of it T... Enjoyment
I have always enjoyed a friendly round of golf with my many golfing buddies..

Way back when I was carrying a 5 handicap and playing with a small group of peeps at a local Country Club we played for the big bucks, you could win big or lose the same amount..
Usually about 10 of us, all with single digit handicaps( that was the rule to join the group) no strokes given, and you wagered a buck a hole against everyone, if you shot bad your wallet left the course a lot lighter.. We played twice on every weekend and another round if a holiday.
If I recollect right the Most I ever won was $210.00 and the most lost was $180.00. All three putts cost you $5.00 bucks and went into a hole in one
pot, but later on we changed that to an eagle on any of the par threes or a par four. I remember when I finally won that pot and it was over $400.00 bucks.
Being we were all close in our ability to score well, so not much money exchanged hands very often.
Cut throat was the name of the game and we exchanged score cards with whomever you were playing with so that kept everyone honest.
Later on when that game ended up some of us joined another group that played a $10 Throw Down, you could only lose $10 bucks no matter what you shot, but they used handicaps to even the game up..
it was much more enjoyable not having to wonder if you had enough cash on you to pay your golf debts

Now a days we don't gamble or bet much on our games because we're all retirees and the ones that still carry a handicap are the ones that still enter tournaments when they're not too expensive to enter. My younger brother who plays with the retiree group carries an honest 13 handicap, he started late in golf and we enjoy our weekly get togethers on Wednesdays at a local course with cheaper green fees than all the surrounding courses..
Now we play a $4 dollar throw down.. Big time players

SJ, I mostly go out with my Mrs who is just learning the game, or we'll go out with my sister and BIL for a late evening 9 holes.
Regardless it's all for enjoyment and sometimes we won't even record our scores. Fun is the best way, but it took me a long time to get that because I am REALLY competitive with myself. I have a hard time not being at the top of whatever I undertake so I generally push myself to obsession. Took a while but golf is purely a fun activity.

My sweet wife has always told me that I am too competitive in all my sports endeavors.
My two sons who both started swinging clubs in the adolescent years take pleasure nowadays to whip me good when we get the rare opportunities to play a round together, they both shoot in the mid 70"s and can easily whip their old man.. My oldest says it's pay back time Pops!
They now both live too far away for regular play but when it does happen that we can all get together and play a round the bets are on!!
Oldest son is 46 and my youngest is 43.

Enjoyment is why my sister took up golf herself.

Being out in amongst the trees, walking on grass, not hard -surfaces, under the broad canopy of the sky makes of a WONDERFUL time.

https://marktwainstudies.com/the-apocry ... k-spoiled/

For some golf is a game of expletives--- Not Deleted
Dr. Irving Gladstone

Gerald Ford once said that "He was getting better at golf because he was hitting fewer spectators.

The most fun you can have without taking your clothes off!
Chi Chi Rodriguez


Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at it
Jimmy Demarest

Never break your putter and your driver in the same round...or you're dead
Tommy Bolt

Golf is a game where you yell Four
Shoot Six
and write down five
Paul Harvey


I've had a goof day of golf if I don't fall out of the golf cart
Buddy hackett

I just signed up for the PGA!

Not really I have never played golf but I did just sign up for the PGA Hope for veterans. 5 Free golf lessons and a set of clubs and bag. I start in September.
https://www.pgareach.org/services/military/

sgtcall wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 03, 2023 6:24 pm

I just signed up for the PGA!

Not really I have never played golf but I did just sign up for the PGA Hope for veterans. 5 Free golf lessons and a set of clubs and bag. I start in September.
https://www.pgareach.org/services/military/

Good for you Sarge..

A bit of advice from an old duffer.. golf lessons are only good for so long.

Instructions on the fundamentals of the golf swing are easily understood,

hold your hands like this, don't choke the club, keep your eyes on the ball,
the back swing does not help the forward down striking swing.. power is useless unless you hit the sweet spot of your club..etc...etc...etc

it's those applications on the course that gonna get weird

Golf is not for everyone, you either have to be entirely devoted to the ideal that you can get better and the numbers 100 and 90 and 80 are the mountains you will need to not only climb but stay there and move on from one number to the next, and always trying to lower those numbers.
And that's when and where the enjoyment comes into play.

or you think after 4 to 5 hours in the hot sun or the bitter north wind that's blowing you over that it's not worth the effort and I'm heading home..Fouck this shit!!

Suzuki Johnny wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 04, 2023 7:17 am

sgtcall wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 03, 2023 6:24 pm

I just signed up for the PGA!

Not really I have never played golf but I did just sign up for the PGA Hope for veterans. 5 Free golf lessons and a set of clubs and bag. I start in September.
https://www.pgareach.org/services/military/

Good for you Sarge..

A bit of advice from an old duffer.. golf lessons are only good for so long.

Instructions on the fundamentals of the golf swing are easily understood,

hold your hands like this, don't choke the club, keep your eyes on the ball,
the back swing does not help the forward down striking swing.. power is useless unless you hit the sweet spot of your club..etc...etc...etc

it's those applications on the course that gonna get weird

Golf is not for everyone, you either have to be entirely devoted to the ideal that you can get better and the numbers 100 and 90 and 80 are the mountains you will need to not only climb but stay there and move on from one number to the next, and always trying to lower those numbers.
And that's when and where the enjoyment comes into play.

or you think after 4 to 5 hours in the hot sun or the bitter north wind that's blowing you over that it's not worth the effort and I'm heading home..Fouck this shit!!

I think the point of this program is to get people like me to try the game. Who knows if I like it I may start playing once a month or so. Fort Dix and McGuire both have courses and there are 5 or 6 civilian courses within 30 minutes of my house. I do pretty well at Top Golf and have no idea what I am doing. Last time I beat a guy that brought his own clubs and had to go through an entire ritual before every shot, annoying.

SJ, got out with my wife to play 9 two times last week shot 40 the first time out and 38 the second time. Maybe I should just stop right now before I mess it up?

Did it again yesterday with a stellar round .. we teed off at 7:15 well before the heat made it's presence on the course..
and finished at 10:15, first group off the tee box..
I didn't have to wait to shoot my age again with one eagle on a par five and for once I putted it in from 30 some odd feet.
The only sore spot was unplayable lie on number 18 and had to take a penalty drop in some really bad rough.
And as usual I always play miserable on the latter part of the back nine.. yesterday was no different..
Looking forward to the cooler months ahead in the fall.

My playing partner also had a great round shooting 69.

My best round this year by far.

Well today was really cool to be out and about on the course at 7:15am it was 76 degrees, cloudy and windy, felt like an October morning.
Finished our round at 10:15am and the temp had reached a balmy 81 degrees.

Really faulted on the back nine even with the two birdies I couldn't overcome the too many mistakes chipping.

SJ, something that you might try on chipping that I found very helpful.
Address the ball as usual but keep your feet together. Now this is the most important part and it works the same when putting. Look at the ball and then the pin 3x and as soon as you've looked at the pin the third time and you have moved sight back to the ball, chip it. There's no pause in this routine at any stage. If you want to you can set up a target of any sort in your yard to try it. The premise behind this is that the brain auto adjusts so you are on autopilot. Work's perfectly for me on chips and putts.

Hope it helps you

Thanks for the tip...I may try that today when we play our round with the retirees.

I use a similar approach... with my feet situated like I do for a putt, and try to visualize where I want the ball to land, but I only look once at the pin and use a pendulum motion to make contact..
I use a 9 iron to chip with little green to work with and use a 5 iron on longer distances. Been doing that for years and according to my many playing partners one of the best around the greens they've seen, it just wasn't happening during this round. The excessive heat has something to do with it as I start going downhill on about numbers 13 or 14.

. Of course there are better players out there.

THE BEST WAY TO GET A BETTER SCORE ... CHEAT !

HARRIS wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 31, 2023 2:28 am

THE BEST WAY TO GET A BETTER SCORE ... CHEAT !

And it's relatively easy to do so, as long as your partner is not looking!
But golf is an honorable game and is the only sport where you can call a penalty stroke against you.....

And one has to be pretty well up to the rules of the game to really enjoy the game as it's supposed to be played,

I remember some time back when my FinL and I were playing in a two man best ball golf tournament in Texas and were paired with a couple of really nice guys and they were kicking our asses good until we got to number 17, a short 125 yard par3 with a huge drainage canal in front of the green.
Actually this tourney paid six places and we were tied for that 6th place with them going into the final round.
And we were four shots behind them after 16 holes.

One of our two opponents hit his first shot in the canal and the other hit his into the sand trap behind the green..
They decide to play the sand trap ball and that's when it got interesting for us and spelled defeat for them, our adversary walked into the sand trap with three different irons plus his putter.. and after deciding which club he was going to use he dropped the remaining three clubs into the sand trap.
I was totally surprised that he did that and before he hit his shot I informed him that he had just incurred a 6 shot penalty because he dropped part of his equipment in the trap, he soundly declared that he could do that and my FinL also told him the same thing that I had said.

Long story short his partner had to go back in front of the canal and hit his third shot.. they ended up taking an 8 on the hole and I birdied it (2) and we came out with a 6 shot swing and a 2 shot lead.. we both parred number 18 and only after our opponents checked back with the tournament officials did they finally agreed to the results. We won by two strokes and both won the $87.50 sixth place winnings.

Knowing the rules got us in the winners circle, otherwise we would have lost easily. It pays to know the rules!

sgtcall wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 03, 2023 6:24 pm

I just signed up for the PGA!

Not really I have never played golf but I did just sign up for the PGA Hope for veterans. 5 Free golf lessons and a set of clubs and bag. I start in September.
https://www.pgareach.org/services/military/

.

Let us know what your first 18 hole score will be and if you enjoyed your round. And like riding motorcycles it’s not the destination but the ride getting there

Suzuki Johnny wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 01, 2023 10:34 am

sgtcall wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 03, 2023 6:24 pm

I just signed up for the PGA!

Not really I have never played golf but I did just sign up for the PGA Hope for veterans. 5 Free golf lessons and a set of clubs and bag. I start in September.
https://www.pgareach.org/services/military/

.

Let us know what your first 18 hole score will be and if you enjoyed your round. And like riding motorcycles it’s not the destination but the ride getting there

I will let you know, but we don't play a full round till October.