Golfers

PJSprog · Jul 18, 2017

I see a lot of threads about golf carts, but very little about actually playing golf. How many golfers do we have here?

I started playing about 1991, after I divorced my first wife. Many of my long-haired friends were playing, so I figured ... what the heck. I'm still not very good, but I do love playing.

Wife and I tried to play 18 this past Sunday, but decided to quit after 15. The heat and humidity were just brutal. Had steady streams of sweat pouring down into my eyes. Took all the fun out of it.

Care to share any golf stories?

/pine · Jul 18, 2017

greatest participant sporting game ever invented...!
Will be watching this thread...

Robin Willims - Golf (full version) - YouTube

M5farms · Jul 18, 2017

Never could justify wasting 4 hours chasing a little ball around . Now I have been warned several times over the years that the golf carts are not off road vehicles

Sigarms · Jul 18, 2017

After college I played a lot.

Par 3, my buddy pulls out a 3 wood. He's 6'4 230lbs, so I asked him if he was sure he wanted to use that club. Turns out some people were walking away from the green when he teed off. We hollared "FORE" at the top of our lungs as he shanked it right going towards the people walking away. We see a person fall down. That was the longest walk I ever took I didn't even hit the shot. Guys wife apparently was hit, he put her into the cart and kept playing.

I gave up the game up north because I played a lot by myself, and it just got too crowded trying to play. 8 people on the front nine, 8 people on the back 9 at 7AM and no one would let me play through.

Best part time job was groundkeeper at the local country club. We played free when it wasn't crowded.

Hadent picked up a set up clubs in over 20 years and played in a fundraiser tournament with my father last year when he came down to visit. I was pleasantly surprised I didn't embarass myself as I though I would of. Dad is still going strong as he can sometimes golf his age and still plays 2 times a week. He complained two years ago when he was 84 that when he was golfing in South Carolina (with his buddies) that he should never of tried doing two rounds in one day because it really knocked the wind out of him LMAO.

Turbys_1700 · Jul 18, 2017

I play. Rather poorly now. Lost a lot of distance due to age and a bad hip and knee that will be replaced this year. Actually keep it in play real well but can't get on the par 5's in 2 anymore.

Love the game and hope to play more one my hip and knee are fixed.

Bird · Jul 18, 2017

Way back about 1959, a friend talked me into trying golf. He had only recently taken up the game and was incredibly enthusiastic. So he teed off, pretty nice shot down the middle of the fairway. So then I teed off, carefully keeping my eyes on the ball on the tee, as he said to do. When I hit the ball, he said, "Beautiful shot!" Of course I had been keeping my eyes on the ball until I hit it, and I never saw where it went. I asked, "Where did it go?" and he said, "Right down the middle of the fairway, way on past mine." We never found that ball. I played a few times that year, but then gave it up.

In 1989, when I retired for the first time, I was given a nice set of golf clubs and started playing again. Never was any good at it, but had a lot of fun in our RV travels, and playing different courses. My two favorite courses were Eagleglen Golf Course in Anchorage, AK, and Pipestem State Park in West Virginia. However, I haven't played the last 20 years or so. I have 2 younger brothers who still play, one of which is a fanatic, plays about 5 days a week.

Will_C · Jul 18, 2017

Playing it constantly 25 years ago or so-never very good. I have only played 4or 5 times over the last 10 years. Interestingly enough, those rounds have been as good or better than when I was playing 4-5 times a week.

Will

/pine · Jul 18, 2017

Best advice anyone can get about golf is..."take some lessons from an established pro"...
learn the basics and develop skills that accentuate them...if it's not fun why bother...just going through the motions to "play golf" is no fun IMO...
Every time you improve on something it is an encouragement...

Won't be getting much sleep this week if you're keeping up with 'The Open' starting Thur...

smstonypoint · Jul 18, 2017

/pine said:
Best advice anyone can get about golf is..."take some lessons from an established pro"....

Even better advice -- don't bet on a round of golf with a stranger who has a 1-iron in his bag.

Steve

buckeyefarmer · Jul 18, 2017

Used to play a good bit, but not much now. Played one charity tournament last yr.

PJSprog · Jul 19, 2017

/pine said:
Best advice anyone can get about golf is..."take some lessons from an established pro"...

I used to disagree with this, under the justification that I would never play enough to make it worthwhile. I was wrong. My Wife got interested in golf when she had to play for a team building exercise at work last year. I taught her the basics to get her through the event, and it turned out she really enjoyed it. So, we decided to take lessons. Some of our friends had recently taken lessons from the staff pro at Golf Galaxy, and had show dramatic improvements in their game. We signed up earlier this year. I have taken 5 of the 6 lessons so far, and it has definitely improved my game. Knowing what I was doing wrong, how I'm supposed to do it right, and having the tools and knowledge to self-diagnose have all been beneficial.

Another drastic improvement came when we recently bought new clubs. She was playing with an old used Northwestern set, and I had an old Golfsmith set (similar to my old set, but with graphite shafts this time). She decided to buy a new set of Callaways, and I ended up going with the Ping G30 ... which was on closeout as it's being discontinued by Ping. Wow. What a difference they made for both of us. She went to the range the day after she got hers, and was hitting them like she'd been playing for 25 years. That convinced me to go ahead and buy new, too. My improvement wasn't as drastic, but it was obvious. Not only the sharper grooves of the new clubs, but the newer designs create bigger sweet spots. I had to get used to the new gigantic driver (which looks like a Volkwagen-on-a-stick to me), but that happened fairly quickly.

smstonypoint said:
Even better advice -- don't bet on a round of golf with a stranger who has a 1-iron in his bag.

Hahaha ... I still have my Golfsmith driving iron in my bag. I hit it well from a tee, but my long irons in general are no threat to any bets.

UpstateSC_Papi · Jul 19, 2017

Never a serious player, just a few rounds here and there in the 90s and even fewer in the "2000s". Two years ago I joined our local Rotary Club and we have an annual golf tournament. The company I work for sponsored a 4-some in the tourney last year and "forced" me (lol) to play as it was "my" Rotary Club. Had a great time and they have sponsored several us for a couple other tournaments, including again for our Sept Rotary tourney. I shoot in the 100s, but have a good time! Maybe some lessons one day, but who know.

Now, my 15 year old nephew is another story. Has been playing for a year. Is a rising Freshman at local high school, but was invited this past spring to play on the Varsity team as an 8th grader. I took him to a course in NE GA that he had never played and he shot an 83. Considering my boss went, is a decent golfer and has played the course numerous time and he also shot an 83, I thought this was great. He played an Arnold Palmer course in Branson, MO last week and shot a 71! What?!?!? Hopefully I have a seat on his meal train. lol

Good times.

/pine · Jul 19, 2017

...I took him to a course in NE GA...

Kingswood maybe? or Sky Valley?

buckeyefarmer · Jul 19, 2017

I used cheap clubs for years, real woods, etc. finally got some custom fit taylor made, improved some. Stopped playing due to kids, time, money, their sports, etc...
Still dont have the vw sized driver. The one i have was big for it's time, small now.

Goose69 · Jul 19, 2017

/pine said:
Kingswood maybe? or Sky Valley?

I played Kingwood several years ago. With my BIL.
.....I had hit my ball off the fairway, up into some rocks.
I went up to use the old "foot wedge" on it to get it back, when I head rattling. There was a rattlesnake not 3' from up from my ball...

..Left the ball there and slowly backed away, told my BIL what the situation was, he didn't believe me, so he went up to check it out, and came out much quicker than he went in..! Lol

PJSprog · Jul 20, 2017

buckeyefarmer said:
I used cheap clubs for years, real woods, etc. finally got some custom fit taylor made, improved some. Stopped playing due to kids, time, money, their sports, etc...
Still dont have the vw sized driver. The one i have was big for it's time, small now.

I had a Ben Hogan persimmon driver back in the '90s that I used to love. Always hit it great ... until suddenly I didn't. Started using a driving iron off the tee instead. I didn't go to a metal driver until about two years ago. I'd quit playing for about 10 years, and had sold all my old clubs. When I bought new (to me) irons, someone gave me a set of the Golfsmith metal woods. I hit that driver pretty well, too. Same deal, though, as it's not one of the VW-size monsters currently in vogue.

zmountaineer · Jul 20, 2017

I played in high school. Had never played before and as a sophomore I started playing and played varsity golf for my 3 years. Was going to continue in college but the school I chose did not have a golf team. So I stopped playing. 13 years later one of my friends was getting married and had a bunch of us guys out to play a round of golf. I broke out my old clubs and played then I didn't stop. Joined a country club and played competitive golf again. My handicap today is an 8 and would be lower if I didn't have little kids. I don't get out nearly as much as I'd like anymore. Every year though we get a group of 16 guys together and have a golf trip to Myrtle beach in march/april.

By far the most fun I have playing is when a par 3 course that I grew up around has a day/night tournament. Those LED balls don't go far but it sure is fun.

hawkeye08 · Jul 20, 2017

My wife wanted me to get a hobby to have something outside work that I liked to do, started playing a little golf, enjoyed, kids and wife started playing too, decided we needed a less expensive family hobby... was playing with a group of men from church one time and one of the them in the group behind our foursome decided to hit close to us... it rolled past us by about 10'. They were amused, we were not. I stepped on the ball and sunk it into the ground. On the next hole, same thing. I put a tee down, put his ball on it and hit it back at them. They stopped harassing us then. In case anyone is wondering, we were pushing the group in front of us also (but not hitting close to them)...

I did the "golf weekend" a few times, leave on a Friday morning, drive 6 hours or so, golf 18 holes, sleep in hotel, get up early, golf 18 in morning, have lunch, golf 18, have dinner, golf 9 after dinner (optional, but still 6 of us did it). Sleep in hotel, get up early, golf 18, drive home 6 hours. There were usually 12 or 16 of us going and we switched up the foursomes so folks had a chance to golf with everyone.

I always tell folks I get the best price for a round of golf per stroke.