The Golf Thread

[Donuthole]

I've read none of this thread, so please pardon my interjection (if you were all in the middle of a serious conversation).

I don't golf, but I had the pleasure of going to a driving range and hitting some balls. It was fun. I'm now thinking about picking up a driver for the sole purpose of hitting balls at driving ranges. If I get good enough at that, I might pick up a set of irons, and eventually, maybe I will pick up golf. I have no hopes for that at this time, but I think it would be fun to pick up a driver.

So, golf people, what driver should I get? I suck, I have no real expectations of being good at golf, but I enjoy whacking a ball at the driving range. I don't want to spend a lot of money, but I don't want a crappy garage sale driver either. Thoughts?

Go to a used sporting good store like Play it Again Sports, or something like that. They should have some decent drivers that are a few years old, but should be more than adequate for your needs. If you are trying to focus on accuracy, make sure the club has a stiff shaft (usually indicated by an "S" somewhere on the shaft. "R" mean regular flex, and "F" means flex). Also, loftier clubs (10-11 degree) are usually easier to hit than those in the 7-9 range.

Personally, I think Taylormade makes the best driver, but my second favorite is Titleist. Nike, Callaway, and Ping all make quality drivers as well.

The other option is to peruse ebay for a good deal. I'd be happy to help you out with that if you want.

EDIT: I did a quick ebay search for the driver I use, and it looks like you can pick one up pretty cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/TaylorMade-R7-Qu...=p4295.c0.m299

[RobinFinderson]

Go to a used sporting good store like Play it Again Sports, or something like that. They should have some decent drivers that are a few years old, but should be more than adequate for your needs. If you are trying to focus on accuracy, make sure the club has a stiff shaft (usually indicated by an "S" somewhere on the shaft. "R" mean regular flex, and "F" means flex). Also, loftier clubs (10-11 degree) are usually easier to hit than those in the 7-9 range.

Personally, I think Taylormade makes the best driver, but my second favorite is Titleist. Nike, Callaway, and Ping all make quality drivers as well.

The other option is to peruse ebay for a good deal. I'd be happy to help you out with that if you want.

Showing up at Play it Again with a printout of your post represents my current level of commitment to this. Searching on eBay would be more commitment than I currently feel. But your post is a great start. Thanks!

[jay santos]

Handicap is not based strictly on how many strokes over par you are. Each course has a rating or slope. It is based on the difficulty of the course you are playing. For example Thanksgiving Point from the tips is 147, I shot a 49 on 9 from the tips and my handicap for those 9 was a 10. If I shoot a 49 from the tips at Sleepy Ridge (slope of 115), my handicap is 18.

The best way to track it is to sign up for the UGA, it is $20 a year and they will track it for you. You also get quite a few discounts at courses.

Here is the official way to track your handicap: http://www.ehow.com/how_15107_calcul...-handicap.html

Handicaps were originally used in tournaments so that players of all skill levels could play with one another, so if I am a 16, and BYU71 is a 6, he would give me 10 strokes per round.

OK, I've always known slope and course rating play into the handicap calculation but thought it was basically the same as your score over par.

I looked at that web site and did the calculation on the golf courses I play most at. Sleepy Ridge, Hobble, Gladstan, Spanish Fork, East Bay

Avg rating:70.9
Avg slope: 121.6
Avg par: 71.8

If I understand the formula right, the adjustment factor is neutral basically if the rating is .96 of the par or about three shots under and the slope is 113.

These courses give a slight favorable adjustment, so if I play bogey golf all five courses, I calculate my handicap at 16.8.

1. Is this right?
2. Do you think most guys are dead on honest about their scores and handicap? Like there's a socially acceptable way to do it. Like if I calculate it dead honest and I say I'm a 17 and then I beat them, do they think I'm being a dick. Or if I calculate it with cheating and mullies, etc. and call myself a 12 or something and then I hack it up to a 95, do people think I'm a dick?

[OhioBlue]

santos i've had similar questions. though I have played golf for years, i've never played consistently, not even as often as every other week, so I just never bothered much with a handicap (good thing, cause this summer it would be rocketing skyward).

I always wonder about people's claims as well. I honestly don't know many people that actually maintain and track their handicap, maybe 1 out of every 5-6 people I know that play golf. And I've seen enough evidence of misrepresentation that I just don't believe anything anymore when it comes to this sport.

As for me, I've played a few times this summer and can't get it going off the tee, which is making me as frustrated with golf and as unlikely to enjoy a round as I've ever been. My lifetime-low rounds are 39 for 9 and 82 for 18, and believe me I haven't even been in the same area code this summer. Labor Day I played Talons Cove, was going on okay at less than bogey golf through several holes, then I hit three straight shots OB on a par 5 and ended up with a 12.

I honestly can't remember ever having taken a 12 before. Maybe when I didn't know the rules for out-of-bounds, perhaps...ugggh.

[byu71]

90% of the golf I play I play in a group out at Oakridge. Probably 95% of the golf I play is at Oakridge. We make sure everyone turns every score in when they play in the group, which is probably 85% of the golf.

I am very comfortable my handicapp represents my scores turned in. The problem is they are all from Oakridge. Playing the same course over and over tends to in my opinion allow you to shoot better scores and thus traveling to another course, your handicapp is lower than it would be establishing it at various courses.

[PaloAltoCougar]

The handicap thing has me vexed as well, as we prepare for Saturday's carnage at Thanksgiving Point. A majority of the participants do not have an established index, and have provided average scores. My current mindset is to decree that those with established indexes will use those (rounding up to the nearest whole number), and those with average scores will be given a day's handicap equal to their average score minus 72. I believe that's generous to the non-index people, but I am a giving man.

Does anyone have a better suggestion?

Also, do we use blues or whites (with '71 using his usual blacks)?

[cougjunkie]

I played a quick 9 holes last night at Spanish Oaks. Here is how my day went:

Hole:
1. 3 putt bogey
2. 3 putt bogey
3. 3 putt bogey
4. 3 putt bogey
5. 3 putt bogey
6. 3 putt bogey
7. 3 putt bogey
8. 3 putt bogey
9. 3 putt bogey

Shot a 45. What are the odds of that happening? 9 straight birdie putts, 9 straight 3 putt bogeys.

[byu71]

I played a quick 9 holes last night at Spanish Oaks. Here is how my day went:

Hole:
1. 3 putt bogey
2. 3 putt bogey
3. 3 putt bogey
4. 3 putt bogey
5. 3 putt bogey
6. 3 putt bogey
7. 3 putt bogey
8. 3 putt bogey
9. 3 putt bogey

Shot a 45. What are the odds of that happening? 9 straight birdie putts, 9 straight 3 putt bogeys.

the odds would be a lot better if you were playing the back nine at Lagoon.

[RC Vikings]

I played a quick 9 holes last night at Spanish Oaks. Here is how my day went:

Hole:
1. 3 putt bogey
2. 3 putt bogey
3. 3 putt bogey
4. 3 putt bogey
5. 3 putt bogey
6. 3 putt bogey
7. 3 putt bogey
8. 3 putt bogey
9. 3 putt bogey

Shot a 45. What are the odds of that happening? 9 straight birdie putts, 9 straight 3 putt bogeys.

I'm not sure what's more remarkable, that you can hit all nine greens or that you three putted all of them.

[byu71]

I'm not sure what's more remarkable, that you can hit all nine greens or that you three putted all of them.

Good point. I will bet some of my lower scores I didn't hit all the greens in regulation. That is really some nice playing, if you don't count putting as playing.

[cougjunkie]

I'm not sure what's more remarkable, that you can hit all nine greens or that you three putted all of them.

I agree. Spanish Oaks is not the hardest course, it is fairly short and has big greens. But really 9 straight 3 putts is unreal. That is golf for you if all parts of your game worked at the same time we would be professionals.

[Donuthole]

if all parts of your game worked at the same time we would be professionals.

Isn't that the truth. Today my irons were great, but my drives were all over the place. Tomorrow it will probably be the opposite.

I had the pleasure of golfing with Tick, Drunk Tank, and a friend of theirs this morning. Great weather, great company, and mediocre ball striking. I played arguably my worst 9 of the summer on the front, but turned it around and golfed pretty well on the back. Drunk Tank is much better than advertised, and Tick is a machine from the tee box: straight and 200 yds, every time. Tick and DT are both pretty good ball strikers, and i anticipate their scores will continue to improve as they continue to golf regularly. Remove some of the chunk and duff shots, and they'll both be shooting in the mid 80s before long.

[RC Vikings]

I had the pleasure of golfing with Tick, Drunk Tank, and a friend of theirs this morning. Great weather, great company, and mediocre ball striking. I played arguably my worst 9 of the summer on the front, but turned it around and golfed pretty well on the back.

So you beat it around on the front and then up the bets at the turn. How much did you take them for today?

[The_Tick]

Golfing today with Donuthole was enjoyable to say the least.

I think Babs would have to watch herself around him as he is kinda male model-ish. DDD would be threatened.

The course itself is being overseeded but was a great course. The greens have a different type of grass than we normally play on so it requires a little more power.

Good time had by all and we are more than looking forward to the rounds we play tomorrow and our little soire on Saturday.

FTR...me 101, DT 105 our buddy Clay...he doesn't count OB shots so his math is a tad higher.

Donuthole is a serious golfer. We weren't about to bet him today.

[Drunk Tank]

Played the 36 holes of Wasatch today. We started on the lake course. I had a dismal front 9 and shot a 59. Nothing was going for me and was really screwing with me mentally. Many shots in the water = not good score. I was able to turn it around on the back 9 with a 45, for a total of 104.

The Tick shot a 99, 48 on the front and 51 on the back.

After a bite to eat we started the mountain course. This is the first I have played this course and it is probabbly the most scenic course I have played. Unfortunatly, the narrow fairways and unforgiving errant shot had the best of me. I shot a 99. Now, I should be happy shooting a 99, right? I mean only 3 rounds ago I shot a 124... Well, it could have been better. I lost 8 balls. So, basically I gave 16 shots away. So concidering I still walked away with a 99 after that, I'm not too upset...Yeah right, Im pissed because I could be doing so much better. Im hoping for a great day at Thanksgiving Point this Saturday.


Oh, yeah, you may be wondering how the Tick did on the mountain course. Well, let me tell you. He beat the shit out of me. It was like watching an robot golfer, and large, overweight robot golfer, but a robot golfer nonetheless. He was a machine! His tee shots were strait and 200 yards, followed up by a sweet 3 or 5 wood that couldnt miss the greens. Now, to be fair, he couldnt read the greens for shit, but that was good, or he would have beaten me by a far greater number of strokes. He ended up with a personal best round of 90, yes...you heard me right...90. I couldn't believe it.

Congrats Tick, great round and a good time was had by all.

Oh yeah, our buddy Clay...he had some issues and was well into the 100's. At least he was counting his OB shots, which is a step in the right direction. In fact, PAC, we really need to raise his index from a 22. He is closer to a 27 at minimum, prob more like a 30-35.