I feel your pain; nature ravaging the course. 1 semi local course planning to close next year or reorganize to a 9 hole tract. Was built in the flood plain of a decent size creek late '70s. Hasn’t been uncommon for portions of a few holes to be under water.
My course is on top of a hill and water runs off on every side. Problem was some torrential showers over the weekend and as the water was making its way off the course it took the path of least resistance washing soil away as it went. Winter has only just started so who knows what is still to come.
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So my last 2 rounds (5/30 & 6/4) I went back to my old PING Anser putter circa 1982. I had purchased that in 1985 to replace my old Wilson 8802. I used that PING for 35 years. 2 years ago I purchased a TM Rossa Daytona6 in the hopes it would help me become better. As much as I like the looks, and as much as I practiced with it… over the course of 62 rounds I never got a consistent feel. It was a full 2oz heavier than my Anser. I lost all confidence from 6-8ft on in. So much so, my playing partners were never uttering the words—“Pick it Up!” even from 2 ft. And I don’t blame them, I was standing over 2 ft putts and was praying!. I think I gave it a fair shot. Last week, I went back to my Anser and I shot an 81, but I started making putts again. I only had 29 putts, but that round I was way off with my irons…This past Saturday, 7 bogeys, 1 birdie, 1 eagle for a sharp 74 with 30 putts. I’m definitely hitting & rolling the ball with my putter so much better with the old PING. The Rossa had lines on it, and I think I was trying way to hard to match the line on my ball, to line of the putt, to the line of the Rossa. My Anser has no lines… I just stroke the putt on the intended line and on the 6-8 ft putts, I have converted 62% so far. If I would have putted just a teeny bit better I probably would have shot 71, I missed 3 birdie opps from 10-15ft. I still track everything. My distance off the tee is hovering between, 240 and 255, which is not bad for a 63yo. I also seemed to have lost about 5yds off my irons from last year, so that’s been an adjustment. PW going 115 instead of 120. 7 iron going 155 instead of 160. Finally, looking forward to playing without uttering F-Bombs! No F-Bombs Saturday! Just 3 dammits and 1 SoB!. That’s a good day!
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Putter fitting seems like it might be a solution, if the Anser lets you down again.
I’m currently working with an old (pre serial number, but not valuable) Mn/Bronze Anser. Added a strip of lead tape in the middle, slapped a SuperStroke on it and am trying it out. I like the forgiveness vs my very unforgiving Plop putter, but i don’t think this one is the one either.
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That is a relatively large difference in weight. I changed to a different putter this year and thought everything was pretty much the same including weight, I soon realized the new one was at least 1 oz lighter because the new grip (same shape) was lighter. It was much better once I added weight to it.
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2 greens in regulation(2 and 7). All drives in play. 7 pars(2 6 7 10 12 13 16), 8 bogies and 2 doubles for 14 over. 7 one putts after some great chips and short game shots. A cold overcast day with some light showers max 15. Very thankful I can keep playing during winter.
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Today was my best 9 ever. 7 pars, 2 bogeys at muni in Cambridge MA.
Gorgeous weather, then 15 minutes torrential rain, then sunny again. Like life.
Less warm up than normal! Not sure what that means.
Used hybrid 5-iron just arrived from Second Swing. $80. Geez I hit it so much better than 5-iron. No idea why. Flushed it 4 times.
Love Practical Golf. Helped me a lot in my quest to go from ~24 handicap to 18 to now 16…to one day 10. Look fwd to Jon’s book.
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Me too. We have a link to purchase it yet? It can go right next to, “The Practice Manual.”
So yesterday I witnessed a Hole in One from a playing partner and really good friend. He plays off 32 and hit an Ace on a 160 yard Par 3, pitching just short and (unusually for a perfectly round golf ball) bouncing dead straight at the hole. sad thing was we weren’t certain and thought it may have dropped off that back of the green.
Weirdly we all fell apart after it happened as it just destroyed any semblance of focus! Great to see it though.
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Talking about holes in one, last week my club released their annual report listing all the holes in one for the last year(only in competition rounds) There were 14 for the year and I saw 3 of them from playing partners. Only saw 1 go in, the other 2 we couldn’t see the base of the pin and found out when we got up there. The one I saw was a 150m shot that went low onto a big bank on the right, ran off the bank and raced across the green to a back left pin and in.
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6/11 Saturday… Cannot complain, the weather was great, cloudy… slight breeze, mid 70’s all day. The putter switch has been amazing. I made 4 Birdies, 1 double (OB), 8 Bogies (2 water Hazards) and 5 pars. I converted 2 outta 4 sand save opportunities ( 
). Ball striking was half ass, I was leaking a bit to the right…hence the bunkers and more chips than I wanted, but I was pretty much green high every approach shot! (except the 2 in the turtle ponds) The card read 76. Last week was 74. I didn’t putt lights out, but definitely good enough and I converted all my 4/5 footers on in with the flat stick. Almost an ACE on our 17th, 170ish 7iron to 9". On our 520 yd #3 hole… best Drive in last 80 something rounds… I’ve been averaging 238-252 depending… that one went 276! Had 228 front, hit 3W stopped in rough 2 yards from green, almost chipped in for a second Eagle in 2 weeks on a Par 5, Tap in Birdie! 31 putts. They give us 36… so back on track with strokes gained putting!
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Played a big tournament this weekend. Kind of a mixed bag. I won 2 net skins for some nice cash, but missed cashing for total net matching cards. It was a 5 hour slog and we teed off at least 30 minutes late. The rough was so thick everyone was hunting for balls and the flags were all tucked or on the edge of slopes and you had to hole out. That was stupid IMO and it’s amazing how high most of the scores were. I did better than expected except I 4-jacked a par 3 from 20 ft. For some reason I couldn’t 3-putt it like the rest of my group lol.
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Another +4 Hdcp, another round of soggy fairways. Too many poor strikes with assorted clubs.
3 pars on F9, including the #1 hdcp hole 
11 FWs, a chip-n and 5 GIR.
37 putts (yeah, yeah I’m working on it) short game was fair, but couldn’t sink the 6’ to 10’ers.
3 poorly played sand shots, out but, too short.
Enough decent shots to go back at it again soon.
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Had a wonderful reminder on my morning 9 today that chipping in is so much better than putting.
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I won my match last night but the struggle continues. 3 doubles to go with 5 pars and a bogey. One of the doubles was the result of being too aggressive due to match play, but the others were just plain stupid.
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That’s why I love match play! Usually, everyone struggles somewhere and somehow. 7 years ago I won the County Open Matchplay. Like 80 Golfers…Top 16 qualified… got down to the final 2. Me against some 20 year old. All tied up after 13 holes. I made DBL on the 135yd par 3… guess what? DBL beats a TRIP! I ended up winning the match 3&2. It’s a very funny game. Congrats on the win… be happy and move on. I’ve lost 'em too. I was on the 19th hole in the championship match in 1997, I hit a par 5 in OT in 2 30ft away. My opponent was wild everywhere on the hole… skulled his 4th shot from about 40 yds… hits the pin and drops for 4. Doesn’t do that he’s off the planet! I 3 jacked. In the end it’s never about how…only about how many!
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The hole in one off the bank reminds me of the debate we had about holes in one all being lucky. I said it was a great shot, he aimed at the hole and hit it, his view was he hoped towards the hole and got lucky.
When I play that hole I always aim for the bank as anything missing left slopes down towards ob and a cavernous bunker well below the green. When ladies play that hole some need to hit driver and aim just inside the trees so it can run past a small bunker and down the bank onto the green.
I’ve played serval holes where that’s the play, we have a par 4 that you need to land short right and let it roll down the slope onto the green. Going direct will be off the back and down a slope in all but the softest conditions. If I ever holed my approach that way though, it would be very lucky as the bounce is key and as we know the bounce is rarely for us! I did hit the flag once.
The debate was ‘Are all holes in one lucky?’ I felt no, not all, my partners disagreed
Another beautiful 9 hole early morning walk…and a valued reminder again that chipping in is so much better than putting. 2 in the last 10 days…I like it.
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