Golfers of RedsZone (aka War Stories from the Rough)

[Orenda]

Originally Posted by MWM

Yeah, what Redhook said. I've read of people taking the same philosophy of wanting blades from the beginning thinking they'd be forced into swinging correctly.

The problem is that when you're making improvements while you're learning the game, you won't know it using blades, so you won't think you're swinging better when in fact you are. This will make you scratch what you're doing and wind up moving backwards instead of forward. You're never going to go from beginner to hitting shots consistently on the sweet spot all at once. It's a process of improvement that you really need feedback on to know how much improvement you're making.

And also to echo Redhook, the technology these days is so good that forgiving clubs can give you most of what blades can. The only players who significantly benefit from playing blades are those looking to work the ball the way they want to. If you get to a point where that becomes important, you're not going to flinch at the idea fo then buying blades.

Appreciate the response. I wasn't looking to play rounds with the mb's, I was just thinking about getting a cheap set to hit at the range and around the house.

[Redhook]

Originally Posted by Orenda

thanks for the advice. I've been debating whether or not to get a few lessons or go the book/dvd route.

Get lessons first to understand your swing tendencies. Then, after you understand your swing, enhance your knowledge with books/dvd's. The only problem with books, dvd's, and golf magazines is trying to do everything. You'll eventually get conflicting advice. Bad for golfers, but great for instructors.

[Redhook]

Originally Posted by Orenda

Appreciate the response. I wasn't looking to play rounds with the mb's, I was just thinking about getting a cheap set to hit at the range and around the house.

Tons of cheap sets out there, and not just mb's. Just try to get something made in the last 5 years or so, so the shaft is still good.

[Homer Bailey]

Hate to brag, but I'm crossing this off the bucket list on Monday:

[Redhook]

Originally Posted by Homer Bailey

Hate to brag, but I'm crossing this off the bucket list on Monday:

Well played..................hopefully.

[paintmered]

Make sure you note the location of the drop zone.

[Homer Bailey]

Well, I hacked my way to an 83 on the Stadium course. It was in the 40's and windy as heck when we teed off at 8 am on Sunday, and I fell apart on the 4th hole after a solid start, and ended up shooting 45 on the front. Was 2 under through 7 holes on the back.... then it happened. Wind caught my pitching wedge into the famed 17th green and it came up just short and into the lumber yard. Re-teed, hit a 9 iron to about 2 feet, but it spun back down the hill about 15 feet. Two-putted for my double.

Crushed a drive on 18, drew it around the bend (almost too much), and had 6 iron in. Proceeded to hook it into the water, and made another double. An absolute choke.

Incredible weekend down there. Got to meet a bunch of pro's, and be apart of a really spectacular charity event called Birdies for the Brave. Hope I get to go back there at some point.

[Screwball]

I hadn't played since the middle of July, but with this incredible weather we've been having the last few days I had to find a chance to get out, so today was the day. I went and played 18 at Beckett Ridge, and it was amazing. I started out bogey, double bogey, double bogey -- 5 over after 3, which, given my 4 month layoff, is about what I expected. But then out of nowhere I knocked one tight on the short 140 yd. par-3 4th and rolled in the birdie putt.

I'm not sure how, but everything came flooding back after that. My drives were finding the short stuff (and rolling forever on the rock hard fairways), my irons were as solid as I've ever hit 'em, and I was inexplicably rolling in 15-footers like I knew what I was doing. I never do that, not even when I was playing a lot. I birdied 7, 8, and 9 for four birdies on the front, and tacked on another on 17 for five birdies on the day. All in all, even after that nasty bogey-double-double start, I fired a 2-over 74. How I did that I have no idea; it still feels surreal.

I usually try not to shamelessly brag like this, but I had to tell my story to somebody (my dog doesn't care much for golf ). Besides, I was wondering if one of you guys (Redhook, SunDeck, Homer, somebody else?) could explain it? I mean, I could all but guarantee if I teed it up tomorrow at a comparable course I wouldn't crack 85. Yet today, after not touching a club for months, every facet of my game from the 4th hole onward was as good as it's ever been. Absolutely ridiculous.

[guttle11]

Easy to explain, you were loose and not trying to play well. When you get out of your own head, the body can do pretty amazing things with muscle memory. Once you got loose and and found it, your swing was on auto-pilot.

Happens to everyone once in a while. Had one of those days at Weatherwax earlier this year. Birdied the first two holes on three hours sleep, teeing off at the crack of dawn. Missed one fairway and three greens. Shot 71. If I could have made more than 3 putts outside the leather, including two 3 putt pars on par fives, it could have been mid-60s. I cared more about keeping my eyes open than hitting a target line. May as well have been blindfolded.

[Redhook]

Originally Posted by Screwball

I hadn't played since the middle of July, but with this incredible weather we've been having the last few days I had to find a chance to get out, so today was the day. I went and played 18 at Beckett Ridge, and it was amazing. I started out bogey, double bogey, double bogey -- 5 over after 3, which, given my 4 month layoff, is about what I expected. But then out of nowhere I knocked one tight on the short 140 yd. par-3 4th and rolled in the birdie putt.

I'm not sure how, but everything came flooding back after that. My drives were finding the short stuff (and rolling forever on the rock hard fairways), my irons were as solid as I've ever hit 'em, and I was inexplicably rolling in 15-footers like I knew what I was doing. I never do that, not even when I was playing a lot. I birdied 7, 8, and 9 for four birdies on the front, and tacked on another on 17 for five birdies on the day. All in all, even after that nasty bogey-double-double start, I fired a 2-over 74. How I did that I have no idea; it still feels surreal.

I usually try not to shamelessly brag like this, but I had to tell my story to somebody (my dog doesn't care much for golf ). Besides, I was wondering if one of you guys (Redhook, SunDeck, Homer, somebody else?) could explain it? I mean, I could all but guarantee if I teed it up tomorrow at a comparable course I wouldn't crack 85. Yet today, after not touching a club for months, every facet of my game from the 4th hole onward was as good as it's ever been. Absolutely ridiculous.

No or low expectations and a good frame of mind can lead to wonderful things. My first round of the year is usually one of my best. It usually takes awhile to get going, but I'm just so happy to be playing golf that I don't let the bad shots bother me. This mental state is one that sports psychologists love to talk about and encourage their students to get to.

[Redhook]

Originally Posted by Screwball

I birdied 7, 8, and 9 for four birdies on the front, and tacked on another on 17 for five birdies on the day. All in all, even after that nasty bogey-double-double start, I fired a 2-over 74.

BTW, great round, especially after the start. And those last 3 birdies on the front were on tough holes. Very impressive.

I had a somewhat similar experience last Sunday. It was my first round in 2 and a half weeks without hitting a ball, rare for me. I was playing at Brown's Run CC in Middletown, my old stomping grounds. The weather was nice and I was just happy to be playing a casual round of golf. I shot a bland 36 on the front with one birdie and one bogey. However, I hit the ball well and missed 3 putts under 10 feet so I felt good going into the back. Well, the putts started falling on the back and I made 5 birdies for a 31. It was the best I hit the ball since July and I had done absolutely nothing to make that happen. It truly is amazing what expectations and a good frame of mind can lead to.

Ironically, I took my first golf lesson in 6 years the next day (it went well if you're wondering......can't tell you who though

[Screwball]

Originally Posted by guttle11

Easy to explain, you were loose and not trying to play well. When you get out of your own head, the body can do pretty amazing things with muscle memory. Once you got loose and and found it, your swing was on auto-pilot.

Originally Posted by Redhook

No or low expectations and a good frame of mind can lead to wonderful things. My first round of the year is usually one of my best. It usually takes awhile to get going, but I'm just so happy to be playing golf that I don't let the bad shots bother me. This mental state is one that sports psychologists love to talk about and encourage their students to get to.

Makes sense and I think it's spot on. I'd normally be pretty frustrated after a start like that, but yesterday I was just happy to be on the course. Also, I was thinking about it and I remembered I've been watching some Golf Channel this past week - specifically Smoltz vs. Glavine in match play. Sometimes just watching other people play makes me play better.

BTW, guttle, even though it could've been better 71 is a heck of a score. Which two nines did you play at WW?

Originally Posted by Redhook

BTW, great round, especially after the start. And those last 3 birdies on the front were on tough holes. Very impressive.

Thank you sir. Truth be told, 8 and 9 were legit, but the one on 7 was a chip-in. I figured after all the penalty shots 7's cost me over the years, it owed me just this once.

[guttle11]

I played Valley View and Meadows, definitely the "easiest" combo you can have. But it was still a great day. I usually play in the mid-upper 70s, and occasionally have a great day, but that was the best I've had. Everything was flush, pure auto-pilot. Even the putts were good, just didn't get many to drop on holes 3-17. Had a 60 foot big breaker Meadows #8 that hung on the lip. Best putt of my life and it didn't even go in.

[bucksfan2]

Originally Posted by guttle11

I played Valley View and Meadows, definitely the "easiest" combo you can have. But it was still a great day. I usually play in the mid-upper 70s, and occasionally have a great day, but that was the best I've had. Everything was flush, pure auto-pilot. Even the putts were good, just didn't get many to drop on holes 3-17. Had a 60 foot big breaker Meadows #8 that hung on the lip. Best putt of my life and it didn't even go in.

I hate Meadows. We used to play Woodside and Meadows in the High School Golf Districts. I was a Jr at the time and coming off a pretty lackluster front nine, I think I was somewhere aroudn 4 over. I then proceeded to birdie two of the first 4 holes on the Meadows to get my score back down. Then came #5 (I believe) the uphill par 3 with woods trouble on the right. I think it was playing right around 190 yards and was up hill. That meant I had to hit my least favorite club in my bag. Combine that with about a 20 minute wait on the tee for the next group to clear the green. Well my tee ball went short and right into the woods. Next tee ball ended up short in the bunker. My bunker shot was bladed over the green and into the woods again. I carded an 8 and pretty much ended my (and our team's) chances at advancing to the State Finals. I think as a team we lost 10 strokes to par on that hole.

[guttle11]

Originally Posted by bucksfan2

I hate Meadows. We used to play Woodside and Meadows in the High School Golf Districts. I was a Jr at the time and coming off a pretty lackluster front nine, I think I was somewhere aroudn 4 over. I then proceeded to birdie two of the first 4 holes on the Meadows to get my score back down. Then came #5 (I believe) the uphill par 3 with woods trouble on the right. I think it was playing right around 190 yards and was up hill. That meant I had to hit my least favorite club in my bag. Combine that with about a 20 minute wait on the tee for the next group to clear the green. Well my tee ball went short and right into the woods. Next tee ball ended up short in the bunker. My bunker shot was bladed over the green and into the woods again. I carded an 8 and pretty much ended my (and our team's) chances at advancing to the State Finals. I think as a team we lost 10 strokes to par on that hole.

I generally have bad memories of Meadows as well. We used to play our league (MML) tourney at Weatherwax and every year it was Woodside and Meadows. Senior year I shot even on Woodside and was 1 over through the first 3 of Meadows. With 2 par 5s left I was feeling really good. As soon as we teed off on 4, a cold front brought wind and a driving rain, but no lightning. Play never stopped. I fell apart and shot 83. 10 over on the last 6 holes. Shanked one off the tee on #5, almost straight sideways. Yuck.