The Golf Thread

At this point I would not bother with even adding up your score.  Just hit it, find it and hit it again.  Par for you is a double bogey just measure each hole off that.  Enjoy it and keep an eye behind you to make sure you are not holding up the golf course.  If you get to double par and are not on the green pick up and move to the next hole.

Glad you are enjoying it.  It's a great game.

Patrick Reed is THE MAN!

Best match ever.  Watch the highlights if you missed it.

USA

Coach Z wrote

At this point I would not bother with even adding up your score.  Just hit it, find it and hit it again.  Par for you is a double bogey just measure each hole off that.  Enjoy it and keep an eye behind you to make sure you are not holding up the golf course.  If you get to double par and are not on the green pick up and move to the next hole.

Glad you are enjoying it.  It's a great game.

The course today was empty so I didn't have to worry about other players and I played out every hole.  I had a 9 on a par 5 and an 8 on a par 4 which were my worst holes.  I hit an even par on a couple par 4's on the back 9 which were my best holes.  I played from the yellow tees.

The Potsdam course is actually two separate 9 hole courses designed by different architects and they play noticeably different.  The club opened in 1921 as a 9 hole course which is the present day back 9.  The course was expanded to 18 holes in 2001 with the addition of the front 9.  The front 9 is tighter but flatter and the back 9 has lots of hills but is more open.  I played much better on the back 9.

ml242 wrote

Sno, have you ever considered climbing? I think it would suit some aspects of your personality.

I have enjoyed hiking, but I am prone to massive headaches whenever I do it for seemingly no reason.  Maybe it's the elevation change.  Even if I drink lots of water I still get them.  That takes the enjoyment out of the whole experience and I rarely go on hikes now if ever.  It's a shame because there's a ton of good hikes within easy reach of Clarkson.

That was def a great match --- Phil and Sergio combining for 19 birdies was fun to watch too

Good win by team USA

Reed was magnificent and Phil and Sergio put on a clinic , but the crowd was OTT , an embarrassment , a really terrible reflection of lack of sportsmanship toward the EUROS . The US was not well represented by these cretins in the crowd .

We simply are way too tolerant of assholic behavior.  

I think Reed and especially McElroy got the crowd way too worked up.  I think both sides captains stepped in and told them to cool it a bit towards the end of the front nine and then they fist bumped and calmed down.  Hell of a match.  I've never seen so many long putts made by both sides.

I didn't see any of that first hand. I heard the commentators talking about it, too bad that happened. That goes against everything I like about golf. Glad I missed it.

snoloco wrote

I have enjoyed hiking, but I am prone to massive headaches whenever I do it for seemingly no reason.  Maybe it's the elevation change.  Even if I drink lots of water I still get them.  That takes the enjoyment out of the whole experience and I rarely go on hikes now if ever.  It's a shame because there's a ton of good hikes within easy reach of Clarkson.

Not all hikes have to have massive elevation change. Northville-Placid is like 150 miles of roly-poly awesomeness. Same with climbing. You don't have to be on pitch 12 of el cap to be a climber. There is so much single pitch 10m stuff around that makes you just as much of a climber as someone else because punching through the ceiling at 5.7 to 5.8 should be just as hard as 5.12 to 13 (in theory, I wouldn't exactly know since I am not a 5.12 climber).

But unlike other sports where it is mostly technique, or strength, etc, it is very balanced at strength/technique/mental game in equal parts that allow you to excel when you unlock them.

And when you climb trad there is an engineering component where if you were to fall on an anchor, how much force could you generate and in what direction will it pull. So you have to equalize or anticipate outcomes as you go. It's very heady. What piece should I use and where. What's the correct knot for this situation, etc.

I led a friend who doesn't have outdoor experience on a two pitch 5.4 that was absolutely wild with a crazy traverse about 30 feet off of the ground. So even though the climbing was easy it still took cojones to step out and try to do it -- which the McGill outing club apparently did as a first ascent in 1936! I can't even imagine what that must have been like, to take a fall in a swami belt on a rope with zero give. Ouch.

Anyway, unlike Golf (which I am sure has some merits, I have seen Caddyshack), Climbing is for everyone. It can be done for cheap because to get started all you need are shoes, people are friendly, everyone is struggling with their projects equally, and you get to be outside in obscenely beautiful locations outside of ski season... and there are even some stunning ladies.  

Because you're at university, I refuse to believe that there wouldn't be an outing club or something for you to give it a go at some point with very little effort, you would just need to find a calendar and sign up.


I don't want to ruin the Golf thread anymore with the OT, but you should give it a try because otherwise you'll just be one year older when you do, and Golf will always be around for when you're an old guy anyway.

Took a lesson today.  Very helpful.  My swing needed a lot of work which was causing me to hit all the bad shots I did earlier.  Afterwards, I hit some shots on the driving range and did a lot better than I did before.

Played today for the first time is six weeks after being hospitalized in Boston and again with Heart rate  A  FLutter  during that time . Rate now is like Lance Armstrong and under control

Still cant drive well with residual thigh and groin ache from hip surgery , its nasty stubborn but will get better . Only hit two good drives with the silly stick in the 9 holes , but on the two par 3's hit the greens with my irons one was a foot from another ace .

Played reasonably well , 2 birdies , 2 pars ,  shot 39 for 9  , 16 putts so short game is still strong and when i get my strength back in the tight thigh and groin all should be ok .. Dont like playing 9 ,but that is about the limit ofmy endurance with the pain .

Felt great to get out again inspite of the achyness

Awesome , keep on practicing, work on your short game , you can probably hit some wedges right on campus , its is great ti get those approach shots dialed in ....DRIVE for show BUT PUTT  for dough !!!  

I was told that the 7-iron is the most forgiving club for learning your swing.  Once you master it with that club, it can carry over to the others.  Probably will need to take a lesson again to master hitting drivers and fairway woods as those are hard.  

My short game isn't the best either.  While I'm ok at putting and pretty good at hitting out of bunkers, I suck at chipping.  Can't put spin on the ball.  I may have figured out the issue as I was doing chips as a shortened full swing rather than a putting swing.

Sno just focus on smooth swing dont worry about spinning it , just get it close AND learn how to lag putt . You might be having too much tension in your grip and fore arms . Light grip , loose forearms , take it straight back LOW and slow then bring it up n down . Balance is also key remeber do not ARM SWING. Its not baseball .

Just focus on a couple things at a time , THIS. Game has so many independent variables so its best to focus on just a few at a time .. Itll eventuallly come if you are patient and practice and dont get upset about bad shots . This is a mental game and many take themselvesout of it by over reacting to bad shots . Laff em off and relaxfor the next shot

Have fun !!

snoloco wrote

   Probably will need to take a lesson again to master hitting drivers and fairway woods as those are hard.  

 

You should get that thought right out of your head now. You will NEVER master any part of this game.

If want to be good --- put the clubs away and practice your chipping and putting. That's where the game is at.

Shot a 38 today , with an Eagle , Birdie , 2 pars and one damn penalty stroke got too aggressive on a  hole guarded by 3 ponds ....stupid shot . Actually had a fair day with the silly stick not my pre operation power but respectable for a change . Damn groin. UGH

Good to hear you are getting your game back

Thanks Coach , not back but considering the pain i deal with , i am  happy with it. Still cannot make a really strong turn on the drive . Hopefully next season. BTW Your game is very strong this yr , been following your reports...... Kudos. My. Man!!  

The eagle missed being another ace by 15 inches. it was on a 269  yd par 4, the hole isn't long as par 4 's go but thegreen   guarded by 4 ponds And some woods narrowing the approach so i was really stoked by the accuracy and distance of the drive , my best effort in awhile  . I ususally lay up on it and go in with a wedge but decided what the hell and tried a low percentage shot( this time it worked most times i mess itup ergo the layup is a smarter play and puts a bird usually in play.

Sometimes dumb luck happens  bwaaa haha ha  

law of averages. if you swing enough times you are bound to hit a good shot. nice shot