Golfers Thread

[lichtie23]

Merry Christmas golf lads. Hope you are all spoilt with much golfing equipment. Hope you and your families have a happy and more importantly safe Christmas

[quickoverayard]

On a reachable par 4? Or just in general?
As an aside, if someone is putting on an adjacent green (ie one within ear shot), I'd normally wait before hitting my tee shot. I once missed a 3 footer in a medal as I was put off by the sound of a guy murdering his drive into the trees and screaming "fucking fore" on the tee beside us.

Just in general mate, boy is on the green on a par 5 the boys 300 out and wits for green to clear!! If your tee shot has went 200 you ain’t reaching!!

[IrishBhoy]

Sat and watched the full replay of the Miracle at Medinah on Sky today and was still as absolutely engrossed in it as I was at the time. Will we ever see 3 or 4 hours of golf like that again in our lifetime? Just utter top tier golf from both teams. Some of the shots that I had forgotten about were just unreal. Was getting told all day to get the channel turned to something Christmassy but it didn’t leave my TV all day. 
 

Love him or hate him, but Poulters interview at the start of the round where he just keeps repeating ‘I will bring back a point, I will win the team a point’, and then watching how his match against Webb Simpson pans out where he only ever gets ahead on the 17th, is excellent.  

 

Edited December 26, 2020 by IrishBhoy

[Distant Doonhamer]

Sat and watched the full replay of the Miracle at Medinah on Sky today and was still as absolutely engrossed in it as I was at the time. Will we ever see 3 or 4 hours of golf like that again in our lifetime? Just utter top tier golf from both teams. Some of the shots that I had forgotten about were just unreal. Was getting told all day to get the channel turned to something Christmassy but it didn’t leave my TV all day. 

It’s a fantastic watch. I’ve got a mate who gave up watching at one point as he was convinced the USA would win. He’s got history having switched off at HT when Scotland were being hammered at Twickenham in 2019. We sometimes go a good couple of days without slagging him.

[IrishBhoy]

1 hour ago, Distant Doonhamer said:

It’s a fantastic watch. I’ve got a mate who gave up watching at one point as he was convinced the USA would win. He’s got history having switched off at HT when Scotland were being hammered at Twickenham in 2019. We sometimes go a good couple of days without slagging him.

I think it’s going to be one of these events, for golf fans at least, that will just live on in the memory as something all future Ryder Cups will be compared to. I can’t think of a specific example in football, possibly something like that Watford Leicester play off game, where the events that unfolded were just so mad that everyone is in agreement that they will never see it happen again. There’s probably better examples out there tbh. 
 

There’s a shot Keegan Bradley plays from the side of one of the greens, ball on a downslope and he plays a flop shot about 60 yards into the air that comes down 4 foot from the pin. It gets to a stage where the leading match is around the 17th hole where it’s just shot after shot of craziness.
 

Butch Harmons commentary makes it as well, he ends up cheering the Europeans on. 

[peasy23]

I think it’s going to be one of these events, for golf fans at least, that will just live on in the memory as something all future Ryder Cups will be compared to. I can’t think of a specific example in football, possibly something like that Watford Leicester play off game, where the events that unfolded were just so mad that everyone is in agreement that they will never see it happen again. There’s probably better examples out there tbh. 
 
There’s a shot Keegan Bradley plays from the side of one of the greens, ball on a downslope and he plays a flop shot about 60 yards into the air that comes down 4 foot from the pin. It gets to a stage where the leading match is around the 17th hole where it’s just shot after shot of craziness.
 
Butch Harmons commentary makes it as well, he ends up cheering the Europeans on. 

The one single shot that sticks in my mind is the huge putt that Rose holed to tie his match against Mickelson on 17, then won it on the 18th. IIRC that tied the overall scores and was a big shot in the arm to the European players still on the course.

[IrishBhoy]

2 hours ago, peasy23 said:

16 hours ago, IrishBhoy said:

I think it’s going to be one of these events, for golf fans at least, that will just live on in the memory as something all future Ryder Cups will be compared to. I can’t think of a specific example in football, possibly something like that Watford Leicester play off game, where the events that unfolded were just so mad that everyone is in agreement that they will never see it happen again. There’s probably better examples out there tbh. 
 
There’s a shot Keegan Bradley plays from the side of one of the greens, ball on a downslope and he plays a flop shot about 60 yards into the air that comes down 4 foot from the pin. It gets to a stage where the leading match is around the 17th hole where it’s just shot after shot of craziness.
 
Butch Harmons commentary makes it as well, he ends up cheering the Europeans on. 

The one single shot that sticks in my mind is the huge putt that Rose holed to tie his match against Mickelson on 17, then won it on the 18th. IIRC that tied the overall scores and was a big shot in the arm to the European players still on the course.

Yep that’s probably the one that sticks most in my mind too as Mickleson was on absolute top form. Paul Lawrie chipping in from off the green early in the round and ultimately earning the Europeans a point was massive too. So many things that just fell perfectly into place at the exact right time for Europe that day, it was special to watch live and just as good yesterday. 

[peasy23]

Yep that’s probably the one that sticks most in my mind too as Mickleson was on absolute top form. Paul Lawrie chipping in from off the green early in the round and ultimately earning the Europeans a point was massive too. So many things that just fell perfectly into place at the exact right time for Europe that day, it was special to watch live and just as good yesterday. 

Could be my memory playing tricks, but I seem to remember a few Americans getting their approach into the last wrong. IIRC they went past the flag to the left and it left them a horrible left to right downhill putt that was tricky to get down in two. Europeans seemed to be under the flag more often.

[IrishBhoy]

6 minutes ago, peasy23 said:

56 minutes ago, IrishBhoy said:

Yep that’s probably the one that sticks most in my mind too as Mickleson was on absolute top form. Paul Lawrie chipping in from off the green early in the round and ultimately earning the Europeans a point was massive too. So many things that just fell perfectly into place at the exact right time for Europe that day, it was special to watch live and just as good yesterday. 

Could be my memory playing tricks, but I seem to remember a few Americans getting their approach into the last wrong. IIRC they went past the flag to the left and it left them a horrible left to right downhill putt that was tricky to get down in two. Europeans seemed to be under the flag more often.

There was a green on the back 9 that had a large sloping run off area to the back right, anything over the green got sucked in by it. Mickleson definitely fired one through the green and down the slope leaving an almost impossible shot back towards the pin that was only 4 or 5 paces from the fringe. 
 

Another thing that struck me rewatching that yesterday was the pace of the greens. Any sort of chip from off the green was heavily dependent on the amount of spin put on the ball as to wether it stopped quickly or ran on for 30 or 40 yards like it was skating over ice. 

[Distant Doonhamer]

Golfed today. It was very cold but the course largely fine albeit one or two slippery patches. Putted beautifully and had six 3s on my card- 3 pars, 2 birdies and an eagle. Pleasing.

[lichtie23]

Golfed today. It was very cold but the course largely fine albeit one or two slippery patches. Putted beautifully and had six 3s on my card- 3 pars, 2 birdies and an eagle. Pleasing.

I was scheduled to play today but it was winter greens so I cancelled. I refuse to play on them

[Distant Doonhamer]

I was scheduled to play today but it was winter greens so I cancelled. I refuse to play on them

Yep I hate winter greens. We had two winter greens today so not a big issue. Meant to be playing tomorrow but suspect it will be winter greens on all holes. That being the case I won’t be playing.

[lichtie23]

Yep I hate winter greens. We had two winter greens today so not a big issue. Meant to be playing tomorrow but suspect it will be winter greens on all holes. That being the case I won’t be playing.

It’s pointless keeping score. The holes sometimes play 40-50 yards shorter and you are putting on fairway. A few of the winter greens Iv seen at the courses I play unfortunately also have divots on them.

[quickoverayard]

Was out with the lad today, he managed 3 pars l which he was delighted with. I ended up 80 8 over par with a horrid 8 on the par 5 18th.... greens were solid totally frozen

[peasy23]

It's only 100 days until The Masters gets underway.

[quickoverayard]

Was talking to a guy at my work who has been golfing for 40years + and has never had a hole in one, would we say it’s more luck than skill?

[peasy23]

Was talking to a guy at my work who has been golfing for 40years + and has never had a hole in one, would we say it’s more luck than skill?

Bit of both tbh. I've played with a few low handicappers who have never had one, yet one of the rounds I played with one of them (playing off 1) the longest putt he had for a 2 was about 3 feet, one of his other tee shots was 3 inches from dropping. (We only have 3 par 3s).

Conversely I have a workmate who struggles to break 100, who thinned an 8 iron which went like a tracer bullet, ran on to the green, hit the pin and dropped.

I'll be 35 years or so playing and have never had one, but have had a few close calls including 2 hit pins. I did once hole a wedge from about 95 yards for an eagle 3.

Even some of the pros get really lucky...

[Distant Doonhamer]

1 hour ago, quickoverayard said:

Was talking to a guy at my work who has been golfing for 40years + and has never had a hole in one, would we say it’s more luck than skill?

There's an element of luck but the better you are the more likely you are to hit a tee shot near the pin and thus the more likely it is you'll get a hole in one.

That said many low handicappers won't have had one. Loads of the pros are in double figures I suspect.

I've been "fortunate'" enough to have had two in the last 15 years.  On the second one I'd already had a tap in two from about six inches earlier in the round. I play regularly with two guys of similar ability (handicaps 9 and 11) neither of whom have had one. 

 

Edited December 30, 2020 by Distant Doonhamer

[Benjamin_Nevis]

I'd say aces are mostly skill as they are generally the result of a well-aimed and well-struck shot. Aye a few folk will get one with a mis-hit or a fluke but I'd say it's mostly down to skill. I've had three, weirdly all on the same hole, with the same club in the space of just over a year. Fortunately none of them costs me drinks as I was a junior for two of them and the bar was shut when i got in from the round of my final one 

They are probably rare because the odds of getting a ball into a wee hole from upwards of a 100-200+ yards away are really small. Mine were all on the 126yard 2nd hole at Kirrie with pretty solid wedges, but in my entire time playing golf other than those shots (30+ years), I could count on one hand the number of times I've holed out from more than a 120 odd yards on other holes, ie approaches on par 4s etc. 

I've been properly close to another 4 - two shots which hit the pin about a foot or so above the hole and bounced 15-20 feet away, another on a blind green which i found sitting an inch behind the dead centre of the hole, and a drive on a short Par 4 which i was told had lipped out.

 

[Distant Doonhamer]

I'd say aces are mostly skill as they are generally the result of a well-aimed and well-struck shot. Aye a few folk will get one with a mis-hit or a fluke but I'd say it's mostly down to skill. I've had three, weirdly all on the same hole, with the same club in the space of just over a year. Fortunately none of them costs me drinks as I was a junior for two of them and the bar was shut when i got in from the round of my final one [emoji23]
They are probably rare because the odds of getting a ball into a wee hole from upwards of a 100-200+ yards away are really small. Mine were all on the 126yard 2nd hole at Kirrie with pretty solid wedges, but in my entire time playing golf other than those shots (30+ years), I could count on one hand the number of times I've holed out from more than a 120 odd yards on other holes, ie approaches on par 4s etc. 
I've been properly close to another 4 - two shots which hit the pin about a foot or so above the hole and bounced 15-20 feet away, another on a blind green which i found sitting an inch behind the dead centre of the hole, and a drive on a short Par 4 which i was told had lipped out.
 

I really like these golfing tales. Every golfer has them. Years before I’d had a hole in one I hit the pin at two par 3s in the same round (Dumfries and County GC the 6th and the 14th). Both times the ball stopped within a foot of the hole. I still have the golf balls that I used for the two aces I’ve had and also the golf ball I used in the round of golf where after years of playing I finally made it to single figure handicap.
I’ve also holed a full 3 wood shot from about 210 yards on a par 5 in a match. Just to add to the story it was a provisional ball. Tee shot into bunker. Played out of bunker sideways. Hit 3 wood shot which looked as though it might be lost. Hit provisional up towards the green. Found original ball in an awful spot, had a couple of goes at moving it forwards and then conceded the hole. Went up to the green to get my provisional ball to discover it was in the hole for what would have been an amazing par 5.