WRXers Scratch Amateur Tournaments Thread: Commitments, Results, etc....

[Obee]

It's my home course. Not especially — especially against a top field. I would much prefer tight and quirky. Bear Creek is long and tough for a short-hitting 52 year old.

 

7,038, 74.7/143 is what USGA has it listed at for the qualifier.

 

72 or 73 will make it, I believe.

[Celebros]

> @Obee said:

> Wow!!! So fantastic! Well Done!!!

>

> What did posting that finals score do to you handicap??? LOL!!!

>

> > @Celebros said:

> > I posted my first round club championship travails earlier in the thread, but just wanted to update that... I won! The thing! The whole thing!

> >

> > First competitive golf in 15 years - won my first round 2-up after being 3-down after five holes. Second round was against the... 6 time?... club champion who was a college golfer. Won on the 19th hole. In the finals I shot 72 to get me to extra holes (match play), winning on the 19th. Honestly, every match I was playing against someone who was by all objective measures, a better golfer than I am, but the magic of match play plus some adrenaline carried me through.

> >

> > As a ~4 handicap, shooting 72 in the finals on a tipped-out course against a scratch player definitely takes the cake as the best golfing experience I've had. The match was never more than 1-up in either direction, so tense throughout. Have that competitive bug back!

>

>

 

With another good score falling off, it only took me from a 4.1 to a 3.9.

[Obee]

Nice! What's the rating/slope of the course from the tees you played?

 

> @Celebros said:

> > @Obee said:

> > Wow!!! So fantastic! Well Done!!!

> >

> > What did posting that finals score do to you handicap??? LOL!!!

> >

> > > @Celebros said:

> > > I posted my first round club championship travails earlier in the thread, but just wanted to update that... I won! The thing! The whole thing!

> > >

> > > First competitive golf in 15 years - won my first round 2-up after being 3-down after five holes. Second round was against the... 6 time?... club champion who was a college golfer. Won on the 19th hole. In the finals I shot 72 to get me to extra holes (match play), winning on the 19th. Honestly, every match I was playing against someone who was by all objective measures, a better golfer than I am, but the magic of match play plus some adrenaline carried me through.

> > >

> > > As a ~4 handicap, shooting 72 in the finals on a tipped-out course against a scratch player definitely takes the cake as the best golfing experience I've had. The match was never more than 1-up in either direction, so tense throughout. Have that competitive bug back!

> >

> >

>

> With another good score falling off, it only took me from a 4.1 to a 3.9.

 

 

[Celebros]

> @Obee said:

> Nice! What's the rating/slope of the course from the tees you played?

>

> > @Celebros said:

> > > @Obee said:

> > > Wow!!! So fantastic! Well Done!!!

> > >

> > > What did posting that finals score do to you handicap??? LOL!!!

> > >

> > > > @Celebros said:

> > > > I posted my first round club championship travails earlier in the thread, but just wanted to update that... I won! The thing! The whole thing!

> > > >

> > > > First competitive golf in 15 years - won my first round 2-up after being 3-down after five holes. Second round was against the... 6 time?... club champion who was a college golfer. Won on the 19th hole. In the finals I shot 72 to get me to extra holes (match play), winning on the 19th. Honestly, every match I was playing against someone who was by all objective measures, a better golfer than I am, but the magic of match play plus some adrenaline carried me through.

> > > >

> > > > As a ~4 handicap, shooting 72 in the finals on a tipped-out course against a scratch player definitely takes the cake as the best golfing experience I've had. The match was never more than 1-up in either direction, so tense throughout. Have that competitive bug back!

> > >

> > >

> >

> > With another good score falling off, it only took me from a 4.1 to a 3.9.

>

>

 

Actually that's a good point as far as handicap goes, lol. They didn't get the tips/championship tees re-rated the last go-round as far as I know (i.e. it isn't on the scorecard anymore), so I used the furthest back tees currently listed for handicap purposes, which is 70.7/123. Par 71.

 

The setup we played was identical to the old championship tees though, which were previously rated at 72.6/131.

[bladehunter]

My USga mid am qualifier was yesterday. Was 1 under until 5 ... approach caught a tree and made double , which just seemed to let the air out of me. Have been under the weather for last week ( sinus infection again ) , not meaning that as an excuse. Just saying my legs left me somewhere around that approach shot which was a 6 iron. And I played defense the rest of the day. No hazards , no OB and no 3 putts all day. Just made the one putt on 2 and that’s it. Course played extremely long due to the rain the night before , and of course the tees were pushed to the limits. So long tee shots plus no roll equals long approaches. Long approaches when you are out of gas aren’t fun.

 

But anyway. I enjoyed the experience. As I told someone else yesterday. I know I was around 85% health. 5 years ago I didnt play this game. Yesterday I played my first USga qualifier and didn’t embarrass myself. Pretty much mirrors my state am qUalifier. Couple bad swings and no putts made. It’s all good. I’ll be back.

 

Link to scoring if you care. I’m around 40th place (J Hall ) click on the name for hole by hole. Tees were rated 73/135 according to the card. Which I question a bit. 74.2 /145 is the listed “ black tees “ all the way back. I can only recall one hole that wasn’t pushed to the max. Par 3 12th wasn’t. Maybe par 3 8th was up a tad. But all other holes were in the woods to tee off. One on the side of a residential street. lol. Literally no more property to use.

 

https://cga.golfgenius.com/pages/1801235

 

On to the next. Club championship is Saturday and Sunday. 36 hole stroke play. I feel stronger every day. I’m looking for a win this time ... 2 real challengers ...if I can make a couple putts I’ve beaten either of them many times.

[Obee]

Now THAT is what this thread is about. We play. We post. We discuss. :-)

 

There is such a fine line between each of the four levels of player out there. This could be separated into multiple sub-categories, of course, but four is close enough:

 

1. There are the guys who are (almost) always in the top 10 (within their age-range), regardless of the venue.

2. The guys who qualify fairly regularly, but aren't as consistent as the "(almost) always top 10" guys

3. The guys who every once in a while sneak into the top 10 and occasionally qualify

4. The guys who seem to be forever stuck between 75 and 82 (Just because you shot 81, does NOT mean I'm putting you in this category, BH)

 

The thing is, the "Category 1" guys almost never shoot a round that is outside the top 25% of any field they play in (in their age group). Competitive golf just seems to work this way. The best mid-am/senior am players simply shoot around the course rating when the chips are down in tournaments ... PERIOD. They are (almost) always "in the mix."

 

There is no faking that kind of golf under pressure.

 

For some, the way to improve a category is improving play IN TOURNAMENTS.

 

For others, it's just a matter of even being capable of shooting a round below the course rating when the chips are down. If you don't do that REGULARLY at courses you've never played, then you will have a very difficult time competing against your region's best mid-ams/senior ams/ams.

 

Discuss! :-)

 

 

> @bladehunter said:

> My USga mid am qualifier was yesterday. Was 1 under until 5 ... approach caught a tree and made double , which just seemed to let the air out of me. Have been under the weather for last week ( sinus infection again ) , not meaning that as an excuse. Just saying my legs left me somewhere around that approach shot which was a 6 iron. And I played defense the rest of the day. No hazards , no OB and no 3 putts all day. Just made the one putt on 2 and that’s it. Course played extremely long due to the rain the night before , and of course the tees were pushed to the limits. So long tee shots plus no roll equals long approaches. Long approaches when you are out of gas aren’t fun.

>

> But anyway. I enjoyed the experience. As I told someone else yesterday. I know I was around 85% health. 5 years ago I didnt play this game. Yesterday I played my first USga qualifier and didn’t embarrass myself. Pretty much mirrors my state am qUalifier. Couple bad swings and no putts made. It’s all good. I’ll be back.

>

> Link to scoring if you care. I’m around 40th place (J Hall ) click on the name for hole by hole.

>

> https://cga.golfgenius.com/pages/1801235

>

> On to the next. Club championship is Saturday and Sunday. 36 hole stroke play. I feel stronger every day. I’m looking for a win this time ... 2 real challengers ...if I can make a couple putts I’ve beaten either of them many times.

 

 

[bladehunter]

@Obee

 

 

Yea. I hear ya. And I’m fine with reality. Lately I am stuck from 75-82 in these bigger things. Which makes sense when you consider I estimate only around 43-45 ft of putts made yesterday. Lol. The lone birdie was a nearly jarred 9 iron that left 3 ft. I read it to break left and it didn’t. It lipped in on the right side. I doubt seriously if guys in the top 10 have that happen and stay in the top 10. I know what the glaring issue is. I hit 10 greens on a very off day. That’s literally the worse you’ll see me strike it. Anywhere. Under any conditions.

 

But I also continuously remind myself that 0.1 % of any of them started this game as adults a short time ago. I’m not finished learning yet. Not that anyone ever is. But I’m talking about scoring. I had 7 legit looks at birdie yesterday and eeaked in 1 not to mention loads of par putts that were makable. Including a 2 footer I power lipped out on 16. A great putting round could have made that score a 74-75 easily , still wouldn’t matter. But you get my drift.

 

 

[Ty_Webb]

Interesting stuff Obee. It is fun that someone could be in group 4 and beat someone in group 1. Not often granted, but people catch lightning in a bottle from time to time. I think as you increase the number of rounds in an event the dispersion between the groups grows though. Group 3 for example can throw in a good round in a qualifier and get through, but then in the event proper they'll wind up at best middle of the pack.

 

It's also worth remembering though that no one is really THAT good. If they were, a: you'd know their name, and b: they'd likely not be playing in the same event as you. (though I do note Todd White qualified out of BH's place and he's pretty damn good).

 

I was a pretty solid 4 last year. I shot between about 76 and 85 in my various tournaments. Towards the end of the year though, I started playing much better. I had one 73 where I was +4 after 2 holes and then shot a 68 in round 1 of a 2 day tournament (81 in the second grumble grumble). This year I've been steadily pretty good and between 71 and 75 for the most part. Couple of 79s recently but those were on monster courses, so I'm okay with those. I'd classify myself as a 3 now. Working on getting to 2. 1 is a long way away.

 

 

> @Obee said:

> Now THAT is what this thread is about. We play. We post. We discuss. :-)

>

> There is such a fine line between each of the four levels of player out there. This could be separated into multiple sub-categories, of course, but four is close enough:

>

> 1. There are the guys who are (almost) always in the top 10 (within their age-range), regardless of the venue.

> 2. The guys who qualify fairly regularly, but aren't as consistent as the "(almost) always top 10" guys

> 3. The guys who every once in a while sneak into the top 10 and occasionally qualify

> 4. The guys who seem to be forever stuck between 75 and 82 (Just because you shot 81, does NOT mean I'm putting you in this category, BH)

>

> The thing is, the "Category 1" guys almost never shoot a round that is outside the top 25% of any field they play in (in their age group). Competitive golf just seems to work this way. The best mid-am/senior am players simply shoot around the course rating when the chips are down in tournaments ... PERIOD. They are (almost) always "in the mix."

>

> There is no faking that kind of golf under pressure.

>

> For some, the way to improve a category is improving play IN TOURNAMENTS.

>

> For others, it's just a matter of even being capable of shooting a round below the course rating when the chips are down. If you don't do that REGULARLY at courses you've never played, then you will have a very difficult time competing against your region's best mid-ams/senior ams/ams.

>

> Discuss! :-)

>

>

> > @bladehunter said:

> > My USga mid am qualifier was yesterday. Was 1 under until 5 ... approach caught a tree and made double , which just seemed to let the air out of me. Have been under the weather for last week ( sinus infection again ) , not meaning that as an excuse. Just saying my legs left me somewhere around that approach shot which was a 6 iron. And I played defense the rest of the day. No hazards , no OB and no 3 putts all day. Just made the one putt on 2 and that’s it. Course played extremely long due to the rain the night before , and of course the tees were pushed to the limits. So long tee shots plus no roll equals long approaches. Long approaches when you are out of gas aren’t fun.

> >

> > But anyway. I enjoyed the experience. As I told someone else yesterday. I know I was around 85% health. 5 years ago I didnt play this game. Yesterday I played my first USga qualifier and didn’t embarrass myself. Pretty much mirrors my state am qUalifier. Couple bad swings and no putts made. It’s all good. I’ll be back.

> >

> > Link to scoring if you care. I’m around 40th place (J Hall ) click on the name for hole by hole.

> >

> > https://cga.golfgenius.com/pages/1801235

> >

> > On to the next. Club championship is Saturday and Sunday. 36 hole stroke play. I feel stronger every day. I’m looking for a win this time ... 2 real challengers ...if I can make a couple putts I’ve beaten either of them many times.

>

>

 

 

[mneumann]

> @bladehunter said:

> @Obee

>

>

> Yea. I hear ya. And I’m fine with reality. Lately I am stuck from 75-82 in these bigger things. Which makes sense when you consider I estimate only around 43-45 ft of putts made yesterday. Lol. The lone birdie was a nearly jarred 9 iron that left 3 ft. I read it to break left and it didn’t. It lipped in on the right side. I doubt seriously if guys in the top 10 have that happen and stay in the top 10. I know what the glaring issue is. I hit 10 greens on a very off day. That’s literally the worse you’ll see me strike it. Anywhere. Under any conditions.

>

> But I also continuously remind myself that 0.1 % of any of them started this game as adults a short time ago. I’m not finished learning yet. Not that anyone ever is. But I’m talking about scoring. I had 7 legit looks at birdie yesterday and eeaked in 1 not to mention loads of par putts that were makable. Including a 2 footer I power lipped out on 16. A great putting round could have made that score a 74-75 easily , still wouldn’t matter. But you get my drift.

>

>

 

I've found putting to be the most difficult part of these higher end events. Mostly having issues putting aggressively. Even in my mid am qualifier the greens were nothing special, not rolled, double cut or tricked up and I just couldn't putt with the same mindset I normally do.

 

Ask any of my normal playing buddies and they will say I make an inordinate amount of 15 to 20 footers and never miss inside five feet, but theres something when you get into a more serious event where I just get some tentativeness in the stroke, and it's the difference between an 8 footer in the back of the cup and one that moves at the end and lips out or misses low. Then it gets in your head after 5-6 holes and you start overplaying break and running it 2 feet by high.

 

Just more reps. Hopefully the 81-82 this year turns into a 77 next year, a 74 after that, and then you really get in that mindset that you are going to get it done every time

[bladehunter]

> @mneumann said:

> > @bladehunter said:

> > @Obee

> >

> >

> > Yea. I hear ya. And I’m fine with reality. Lately I am stuck from 75-82 in these bigger things. Which makes sense when you consider I estimate only around 43-45 ft of putts made yesterday. Lol. The lone birdie was a nearly jarred 9 iron that left 3 ft. I read it to break left and it didn’t. It lipped in on the right side. I doubt seriously if guys in the top 10 have that happen and stay in the top 10. I know what the glaring issue is. I hit 10 greens on a very off day. That’s literally the worse you’ll see me strike it. Anywhere. Under any conditions.

> >

> > But I also continuously remind myself that 0.1 % of any of them started this game as adults a short time ago. I’m not finished learning yet. Not that anyone ever is. But I’m talking about scoring. I had 7 legit looks at birdie yesterday and eeaked in 1 not to mention loads of par putts that were makable. Including a 2 footer I power lipped out on 16. A great putting round could have made that score a 74-75 easily , still wouldn’t matter. But you get my drift.

> >

> >

>

> I've found putting to be the most difficult part of these higher end events. Mostly having issues putting aggressively. Even in my mid am qualifier the greens were nothing special, not rolled, double cut or tricked up and I just couldn't putt with the same mindset I normally do.

>

> Ask any of my normal playing buddies and they will say I make an inordinate amount of 15 to 20 footers and never miss inside five feet, but theres something when you get into a more serious event where I just get some tentativeness in the stroke, and it's the difference between an 8 footer in the back of the cup and one that moves at the end and lips out or misses low. Then it gets in your head after 5-6 holes and you start overplaying break and running it 2 feet by high.

>

> Just more reps. Hopefully the 81-82 this year turns into a 77 next year, a 74 after that, and then you really get in that mindset that you are going to get it done every time

 

Yep. I agree there

 

And I’ll admit that my goal pre round was no 3 putts. Now , as I say that ,I get that is not conducive to the goal of qualifying. But. I knew if I didn’t get the speed down that I’m prone to 3 putt.

 

Which brings me to the next truth. I had no goal of qualifying. In fact. I truly didn’t want to. I have no desire to fly to Colorado to play. .... would be like being on another planet for me ( elevation , grass etc ). I simply teed it up for the experience and to gain the confidence from that experience. So it was mission accomplished. Now of course I’d have loved a better score. And knowing that I had better rounds at the same course during the county am last month makes the 82 slightly less satisfying. But still. I now know what to expect for qualifying going forward.

 

Back to the putting. ( I know I know collective eye roll I promise I won’t post anymore on it )

 

I’ve discovered a little something about my setup 2 weeks ago ,more specifically alignment. And have seen some positive changes. At least putts scare the hole now. But it’s going to take some going in , to build some good mental pictures to really play on. I’m just going to keep rolling them ..They have to drop eventually. ( so they say) Mind you , I know what a great putting round feels like. I’ve shot many rounds in the 60s etc. I’ve just always been hot or cold. And this cold patch has lasted a while now.

[Ty_Webb]

> @mneumann said:

> > @bladehunter said:

> > @Obee

> >

> >

> > Yea. I hear ya. And I’m fine with reality. Lately I am stuck from 75-82 in these bigger things. Which makes sense when you consider I estimate only around 43-45 ft of putts made yesterday. Lol. The lone birdie was a nearly jarred 9 iron that left 3 ft. I read it to break left and it didn’t. It lipped in on the right side. I doubt seriously if guys in the top 10 have that happen and stay in the top 10. I know what the glaring issue is. I hit 10 greens on a very off day. That’s literally the worse you’ll see me strike it. Anywhere. Under any conditions.

> >

> > But I also continuously remind myself that 0.1 % of any of them started this game as adults a short time ago. I’m not finished learning yet. Not that anyone ever is. But I’m talking about scoring. I had 7 legit looks at birdie yesterday and eeaked in 1 not to mention loads of par putts that were makable. Including a 2 footer I power lipped out on 16. A great putting round could have made that score a 74-75 easily , still wouldn’t matter. But you get my drift.

> >

> >

>

> I've found putting to be the most difficult part of these higher end events. Mostly having issues putting aggressively. Even in my mid am qualifier the greens were nothing special, not rolled, double cut or tricked up and I just couldn't putt with the same mindset I normally do.

>

> Ask any of my normal playing buddies and they will say I make an inordinate amount of 15 to 20 footers and never miss inside five feet, but theres something when you get into a more serious event where I just get some tentativeness in the stroke, and it's the difference between an 8 footer in the back of the cup and one that moves at the end and lips out or misses low. Then it gets in your head after 5-6 holes and you start overplaying break and running it 2 feet by high.

>

> Just more reps. Hopefully the 81-82 this year turns into a 77 next year, a 74 after that, and then you really get in that mindset that you are going to get it done every time

 

I think often when that happens it’s because you are worrying about your score. Worrying about how it’s going to look on the board and not just being present. It’s in large part why when I go into events with low expectations I wind up playing better. It’s like having low expectations gives me permission to shoot a high score. Then I don’t worry about it so much and play much more freely.

 

The other thing I find helpful is realizing that everyone else is concerned about their score. They couldn’t give two hoots about what you shoot. So just play.

 

BH - I hear you on not wanting to qualify. Guy asked me to play in the us am fourball qualifier. He’s pretty good, but the sort who makes a lot of birdies and a lot of bogeys. I tend to be much steadier and make a lot of pars. I wanted to play the qualifying venue, but the tournament itself was on the other side of the country and I was genuinely worried we might qualify. If I play in the mid-am qualifier and get through it’s one thing to withdraw when it’s just me, but if it was me and a partner that would be a lot more difficult. I have two small kids so have no business crossing the country to play in a golf tournament. So I didn’t play.

[swizbeatz]

> @Obee said:

> Now THAT is what this thread is about. We play. We post. We discuss. :-)

>

> There is such a fine line between each of the four levels of player out there. This could be separated into multiple sub-categories, of course, but four is close enough:

>

> 1. There are the guys who are (almost) always in the top 10 (within their age-range), regardless of the venue.

> 2. The guys who qualify fairly regularly, but aren't as consistent as the "(almost) always top 10" guys

> 3. The guys who every once in a while sneak into the top 10 and occasionally qualify

> 4. The guys who seem to be forever stuck between 75 and 82 (Just because you shot 81, does NOT mean I'm putting you in this category, BH)

>

> The thing is, the "Category 1" guys almost never shoot a round that is outside the top 25% of any field they play in (in their age group). Competitive golf just seems to work this way. The best mid-am/senior am players simply shoot around the course rating when the chips are down in tournaments ... PERIOD. They are (almost) always "in the mix."

>

> There is no faking that kind of golf under pressure.

>

> For some, the way to improve a category is improving play IN TOURNAMENTS.

>

> For others, it's just a matter of even being capable of shooting a round below the course rating when the chips are down. If you don't do that REGULARLY at courses you've never played, then you will have a very difficult time competing against your region's best mid-ams/senior ams/ams.

>

> Discuss! :-)

>

>

> > @bladehunter said:

> > My USga mid am qualifier was yesterday. Was 1 under until 5 ... approach caught a tree and made double , which just seemed to let the air out of me. Have been under the weather for last week ( sinus infection again ) , not meaning that as an excuse. Just saying my legs left me somewhere around that approach shot which was a 6 iron. And I played defense the rest of the day. No hazards , no OB and no 3 putts all day. Just made the one putt on 2 and that’s it. Course played extremely long due to the rain the night before , and of course the tees were pushed to the limits. So long tee shots plus no roll equals long approaches. Long approaches when you are out of gas aren’t fun.

> >

> > But anyway. I enjoyed the experience. As I told someone else yesterday. I know I was around 85% health. 5 years ago I didnt play this game. Yesterday I played my first USga qualifier and didn’t embarrass myself. Pretty much mirrors my state am qUalifier. Couple bad swings and no putts made. It’s all good. I’ll be back.

> >

> > Link to scoring if you care. I’m around 40th place (J Hall ) click on the name for hole by hole.

> >

> > https://cga.golfgenius.com/pages/1801235

> >

> > On to the next. Club championship is Saturday and Sunday. 36 hole stroke play. I feel stronger every day. I’m looking for a win this time ... 2 real challengers ...if I can make a couple putts I’ve beaten either of them many times.

>

>

 

 

 

I play with guys in all 4 of these tiers. I’d put myself in tier 3. The biggest difference I notice between the tier 1 guys and the rest is how far they hit it, I need to start playing more mid am stuff. There is a tier 1 guy on my scratch team play team who will be going pro in the fall, he’s 60-80 yards longer than me off the tee and can shoot 64 in tournament play when his wedge game and putting are sharp.

 

[bladehunter]

@Ty_Webb

 

Yep. I hear ya. Same here. I have a great 4 ball partner. And I truly think we could scare qualifying. But. Neither of us wanted to try this year. We will when it comes back around closer. Business , kid , dog lol. Puts it into perspective. I’ll travel. But I’m not going that far. Not without $ up for grabs.

 

 

[JAMH03]

> @gioguy21 said:

> > @JAMH03 said:

> > > @gioguy21 said:

> > > > @JAMH03 said:

> > > >

> > > >

> > > > > @gioguy21 said:

> > > > > @Buckets2 no pics of the clubhouse or the course, none of the man or Daly. just one or two of the scoreboards after round 1 and 2.

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > Tie for 7th? With a 69 to start off? Good golf! What happened on day 2 seems like the scores were way higher for everyone?

> > > >

> > >

> > > it was a 1 day, 2 course, 36 hole tournament -- the first round was for the top 22 or so low amateurs; who then got paired up with charity 3-somes for an afternoon 4-man best ball tournament.

> > >

> > > i was unaware through the first 3 holes in the second round that the scores for BOTH rounds were going to count towards awards at the end of the day...so, i went bogey, triple on the first two holes...

> > >

> > > smh. i wish i knew b/c i would've played those holes differently - in essence i went for it since my partners were in terrible spots.

> >

> > Meh sounds like a slightly cheesey format, tweak but you played really well.

> >

> > Good going. Nice to know you're in good form. I imagine being in form makes some mistakes easier to deal with and makes things look better as far as prepping for other events and challenging yourself too?

> >

> > @gioguy21 I'd be really curious HOW you got into such a good form and mindset has it been a lifetime or something over the last 5 years? 2 years or are you doing things differently in 2019?

> >

> > How have you been practicing and or preparing?

>

> I played since I was 6 but really only played competitive golf the last 4 years. My first foray into competition was the us open qual 4 years ago lol

>

> I play 3-4x a week. I watch videos of my swing every other week, I practice short game and putting before every round, and in the winter I'm either in the gym (doesn't show it tho) or in the sim or on the range.

>

> Been scratch or better the last 3 years - continously getting a bit better here and there.

 

D@mn skraight! That's a fair bit of prep well done Sir, and from a guy who USED to work out, trust me what you're doing SHOWS you just don't know it yet. If you were to stop you'll find out way too fast keep it up and thanks for your answer it's very informative.

[Insidious2]

> @gioguy21 said:

> > @JAMH03 said:

> > > @gioguy21 said:

> > > > @JAMH03 said:

> > > >

> > > >

> > > > > @gioguy21 said:

> > > > > @Buckets2 no pics of the clubhouse or the course, none of the man or Daly. just one or two of the scoreboards after round 1 and 2.

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > Tie for 7th? With a 69 to start off? Good golf! What happened on day 2 seems like the scores were way higher for everyone?

> > > >

> > >

> > > it was a 1 day, 2 course, 36 hole tournament -- the first round was for the top 22 or so low amateurs; who then got paired up with charity 3-somes for an afternoon 4-man best ball tournament.

> > >

> > > i was unaware through the first 3 holes in the second round that the scores for BOTH rounds were going to count towards awards at the end of the day...so, i went bogey, triple on the first two holes...

> > >

> > > smh. i wish i knew b/c i would've played those holes differently - in essence i went for it since my partners were in terrible spots.

> >

> > Meh sounds like a slightly cheesey format, tweak but you played really well.

> >

> > Good going. Nice to know you're in good form. I imagine being in form makes some mistakes easier to deal with and makes things look better as far as prepping for other events and challenging yourself too?

> >

> > @gioguy21 I'd be really curious HOW you got into such a good form and mindset has it been a lifetime or something over the last 5 years? 2 years or are you doing things differently in 2019?

> >

> > How have you been practicing and or preparing?

>

> I played since I was 6 but really only played competitive golf the last 4 years. My first foray into competition was the us open qual 4 years ago lol

>

> I play 3-4x a week. I watch videos of my swing every other week, I practice short game and putting before every round, and in the winter I'm either in the gym (doesn't show it tho) or in the sim or on the range.

>

> Been scratch or better the last 3 years - continously getting a bit better here and there.

 

Any tips for setting up to video? Lately I can't seem to get it just right and aligned, and by the time I get close I've hit a bunch of balls and am drenched in sweat.

[JAMH03]

@GolfingBro live scoring...

 

Right now 2 over the projected cut with 6 left to play... 2 par 5's remaining. This might be close!

 

 

 

Let's go Matt!

 

https://www.pgatour.com/canada/en_us/leaderboard.html

[mneumann]

Same boat as you guys. I actually played the mid am qualifier this year and skipped all the ncga qualifiers because I have no shot at the mid am. I dont want to qualify for the ncga am or cal am on accident and end up spending a week in Monterey. My wife and my job would kill me, not to mention the financial aspect. If I made Colorado by some fluke of luck I may have been able to justify it to everyone including myself lol.

[swizbeatz]

Played the finals of the gross match play at my club today. My opponent won 6 with a par then birdied 7/10/11/12/13/14/16/18. And I won ?

[JAMH03]

@swizbeatz ZOMG

 

You can definately gloat here and give us a hole by hole breakdown ought to be an interesting tale for sure. But please heed my words of advice here buy that dude a drink anytime you see him in the bar, slip him a part of your winnings, and tell him he owns a part of that title. If not I fear what his version of the story will do to your reputation forever!

 

What a win! Congrats

 

[RichieHunt]

This week I didn’t touch a club all week until Saturday. The cash game got called in the middle of the round due to rain. I was even par thru 12.

 

We played another cash game on Sunday and I played terrible, shooting 79. However, I was even par on the last 10 holes. I just assembled some new irons, a new driver and a new 3-wood. I think the irons need to be flattened by about a degree or so. The driver was very hooky and the 3-wood was very good. I also was putting with a stability shaft in my putter for the first time. Jury is still out on the stability shaft. My main issue is that it feels heavier and I had to get used to making my stroke and getting the speed right. But towards the end of the weekend that started to happen and I was making a lot of good putts with it.

 

I was also working on something new with my swing. It did pretty well on Saturday, but Sunday was problematic. Still getting too much secondary axis tilt and losing flexion in the left knee too early. But, when I do it ‘right’, the results are good. I think I was pulling down the handle a touch early and when I didn’t, I was hitting some impressive shots.

 

I didn’t swing the irons well, but it was producing some shots I really liked. The short irons were flighting lowerand getting more distance. Hope to fix the issues with the driver and get some putting practice this week to do well next weekend.

 

 

RH

 

[swizbeatz]

> @JAMH03 said:

> @swizbeatz ZOMG

>

> You can definately gloat here and give us a hole by hole breakdown ought to be an interesting tale for sure. But please heed my words of advice here buy that dude a drink anytime you see him in the bar, slip him a part of your winnings, and tell him he owns a part of that title. If not I fear what his version of the story will do to your reputation forever!

>

> What a win! Congrats

>

 

 

I definitely would have, kids only 18 and heading off to college where the competition will be much better than me! I tied my low round and had birdied 1/2/4/5 to go 4 up early along with 8 and 9 to make the turn at 3 up. I was one down after 14, stuck it to 3 feet on 15. After a poor second shot on 16, with him 12 feet for eagle, I made a 40 footer first for birdie and he just missed. We both hit it next to each other on 18 about 10 feet away, he was a foot further out and made birdie first and I followed him in. Went back to the tee, he hit it to gimme range for birdie and I made basically the exact same 10 footer as in regulation to extend again. Next time down 18 he hit a drive that got a bad kick and was blocked out and I put it to 3 feet. It was a blast, some awesome golf, very cordial and talkative group. His dad and a couple other guys came out and watched the last few plus extras. Putter was lights out, he was ~50 past me off the tee and most of his birdies were 2 putts on par 5’s or <5 feet after great wedges where I made a bunch from 10-15. Hopefully it holds up, 3 rounds of stroke play for the club championship this weekend.

[Obee]

> @swizbeatz said:

> Played the finals of the gross match play at my club today. My opponent won 6 with a par then birdied 7/10/11/12/13/14/16/18. And I won ?

 

That is so fantastic. I truly want to hear this story!

 

[Obee]

Had to WD from my U.S. Mid-Am Qualifier today -- and it's at my home club. It's "Orientation Week" at the school I work at and I just couldn't take the time off today, darn it. Course is playing to 7,038 yards, 74.7/141. Four spots. Will probably be 72 for a playoff. Played a little $$$ game yesterday and shot 73 from those tees. Wish I was there today....

[Ty_Webb]

> @Obee said:

> Had to WD from my U.S. Mid-Am Qualifier today -- and it's at my home club. It's "Orientation Week" at the school I work at and I just couldn't take the time off today, darn it. Course is playing to 7,038 yards, 74.7/141. Four spots. Will probably be 72 for a playoff. Played a little $$$ game yesterday and shot 73 from those tees. Wish I was there today....

 

Noooo! That's the worst!

[Shades234]

> @Obee said:

> Had to WD from my U.S. Mid-Am Qualifier today -- and it's at my home club. It's "Orientation Week" at the school I work at and I just couldn't take the time off today, darn it. Course is playing to 7,038 yards, 74.7/141. Four spots. Will probably be 72 for a playoff. Played a little $$$ game yesterday and shot 73 from those tees. Wish I was there today....

 

RIP

[Obee]

73 made it.

 

> @Shades234 said:

> > @Obee said:

> > Had to WD from my U.S. Mid-Am Qualifier today -- and it's at my home club. It's "Orientation Week" at the school I work at and I just couldn't take the time off today, darn it. Course is playing to 7,038 yards, 74.7/141. Four spots. Will probably be 72 for a playoff. Played a little $$$ game yesterday and shot 73 from those tees. Wish I was there today....

>

> RIP

 

 

[Shades234]

Played a couple of events recently.

 

Last weekend, I played the Oceanside City Am. Short, tight golf course. Not a big field. Probably 55 guys or so. Played decent enough golf, but bad swings are penalized out there and I made more than a couple bad swings. Shot 77-74 and finished ~20th. Played similarly both days but just didn't have penalty strokes on day 2. Goal was to use this as a tune-up for Mid-Am qualifying and I suppose it served its purpose.

 

Today was US Mid-Am qualifying at Fairbanks Ranch CC in Rancho Santa Fe. I'm 25, so this was my first year eligible for the event. Shot a 74. 4 birds, 8 pars, 6 bogeys. There was 5-1 playoff at 71 for the 4th qualifying spot and alternates. Putted fairly well aside from a bad 3-putt from 25 feet and a meh 3-putt from 85 feet. Had a pretty good feel for the greens aside from a few blips and was hitting the ball decently for the most part. A couple of bad swings got me in trouble though. However, my 6 bogeys came in bunches of 3. So there was definitely a mental element to it. Pretty much made the exact same bad swing twice in a row. One bogey was a miracle bogey, the other was on a par 3 where I failed to convert the 6' par putt that I left myself with. 2 bogeys were due to poor target selection AKA a lack of trust in the line that I should've chosen and deciding to "play it safe" which put me in a worse position. One bogey was a misjudgement of the wind which had flipped directions for the only time today and the last one was the dreaded 3-putt from 25 feet. Definitely could've cleaned up the round a bit and put a better number out there, but that's golf.

 

This closes my summer tournament season. I think it'd be easy to be disappointed since my results from this years rounds of qualifying were more or less the same as last year. However, last year I felt like when I walked off the course at these qualifiers that I had scored as well as I possibly could've with what I brought to the course that day. Over the past year I've attempted to become a much more complete player. I joined a difficult club which forced me to take stock of my game and realize how weak it actually was. I started to attack these weakness and I'm seeing more and more opportunities to improve.

 

Going to keep working on making my swing more consistent. Been doing a lot of work on the trigger move that starts the sequence of my downswing. When I do it right, I flush it. When I don't, there's a good chance I'm hitting a ball into a difficult situation.

 

I have a member guest next month and then a couple of local events (San Clemente + Coronado City Ams) in the Fall as well as US 4-ball qualifying. I treat 4-ball qualifying more like a 1 day guest-guest at a random club. Will try our best to make it back to Philly Cricket, but I view that day as more for fun than to grind.

[Obee]

We need to hook up for a round at Bear Creek!

 

> @Shades234 said:

> Played a couple of events recently.

>

> Last weekend, I played the Oceanside City Am. Short, tight golf course. Not a big field. Probably 55 guys or so. Played decent enough golf, but bad swings are penalized out there and I made more than a couple bad swings. Shot 77-74 and finished ~20th. Played similarly both days but just didn't have penalty strokes on day 2. Goal was to use this as a tune-up for Mid-Am qualifying and I suppose it served its purpose.

>

> Today was US Mid-Am qualifying at Fairbanks Ranch CC in Rancho Santa Fe. I'm 25, so this was my first year eligible for the event. Shot a 74. 4 birds, 8 pars, 6 bogeys. There was 5-1 playoff at 71 for the 4th qualifying spot and alternates. Putted fairly well aside from a bad 3-putt from 25 feet and a meh 3-putt from 85 feet. Had a pretty good feel for the greens aside from a few blips and was hitting the ball decently for the most part. A couple of bad swings got me in trouble though. However, my 6 bogeys came in bunches of 3. So there was definitely a mental element to it. Pretty much made the exact same bad swing twice in a row. One bogey was a miracle bogey, the other was on a par 3 where I failed to convert the 6' par putt that I left myself with. 2 bogeys were due to poor target selection AKA a lack of trust in the line that I should've chosen and deciding to "play it safe" which put me in a worse position. One bogey was a misjudgement of the wind which had flipped directions for the only time today and the last one was the dreaded 3-putt from 25 feet. Definitely could've cleaned up the round a bit and put a better number out there, but that's golf.

>

> This closes my summer tournament season. I think it'd be easy to be disappointed since my results from this years rounds of qualifying were more or less the same as last year. However, last year I felt like when I walked off the course at these qualifiers that I had scored as well as I possibly could've with what I brought to the course that day. Over the past year I've attempted to become a much more complete player. I joined a difficult club which forced me to take stock of my game and realize how weak it actually was. I started to attack these weakness and I'm seeing more and more opportunities to improve.

>

> Going to keep working on making my swing more consistent. Been doing a lot of work on the trigger move that starts the sequence of my downswing. When I do it right, I flush it. When I don't, there's a good chance I'm hitting a ball into a difficult situation.

>

> I have a member guest next month and then a couple of local events (San Clemente + Coronado City Ams) in the Fall as well as US 4-ball qualifying. I treat 4-ball qualifying more like a 1 day guest-guest at a random club. Will try our best to make it back to Philly Cricket, but I view that day as more for fun than to grind.

 

 

[Obee]

So I think a lot of playing with guys who "always finish in the top 25% of the field" is probably quite a bit based upon how often and where you play. And you're right, of course: A "category 4" player can certainly beat a "category 1" in any given round, though rarely in a 3-round (or even two round) tournament, unless the category 1 player is nursing an injury or going through a major swing change (or is ridiculously hungover!).

 

There are mid-am guys and senior guys in California who just play well pretty much every single round of tournament play. They don't always win (of course), but it quite rare for them to shoot more than a couple/few strokes over the the course rating in tournament conditions, and they are almost always in the top 25% of the field at every qualifier they play -- when healthy.

 

Mid-Ams:

Tim Hogarth (53 years old?)

Corby Segal (48?)

Dan Sullivan (52?)

 

Seniors:

Craig Davis

John Pate

Robert Funk

Jeff Wilson

Craig Steinberg

Randy Haag

Iain Macdonald

Don Dubois

Michael Turner

Mike Rowley

Casey Boyns

Craig Calkins

Mark Nickeas

 

If you play tournament golf in a large metropolitan area you definitely start to "know their names," because they either a) very frequently qualify for whatever event they have to qualify for, or b) they are already exempt.

 

Then, when they get to the event itself (especially if it's a local or regional, vs. national), they almost always acquit themselves well. Those names above are all names of guys off the top of my head, just in California (mostly SoCal).

 

I'm a category 2. I've beaten some/all of those guys in both qualifiers and tournaments over the years, but they are all more consistent than I am, and they have almost all WON tournaments of note or gone deep into USGA events.

 

I'm really looking forward to my senior golf years (I'm 52 now and "real" senior golf starts at 55), as I've finally conquered many of the mental and putting demons that plagued me for so long. Last year I finished 2nd in the LA City Senior in a field that included several players from the senior list above. I'm finally no longer debilitatingly nervous when I'm in contention and can actually attack down the stretch if my back/side hold up.

 

My point with the "ranking list" is just that there's always the next level to get to. I've had a blast improving my game over the years, and it was always with the intent of competing, head-to-head, with the very best amateurs in California in my age group. My goal has always been to win something meaningful, and I truly believe that I have the game to win a senior event in SoCal. My upcoming goal is to win the LA City Senior this year (it's in October). At the very least, another top 5 is what I'm certainly capable of.

 

The tournament year is not even close to over for me. Some fun invitationals and member-guests and club championships coming up soon. Looking forward to it!

 

 

 

> @Ty_Webb said:

> Interesting stuff Obee. It is fun that someone could be in group 4 and beat someone in group 1. Not often granted, but people catch lightning in a bottle from time to time. I think as you increase the number of rounds in an event the dispersion between the groups grows though. Group 3 for example can throw in a good round in a qualifier and get through, but then in the event proper they'll wind up at best middle of the pack.

>

> It's also worth remembering though that no one is really THAT good. If they were, a: you'd know their name, and b: they'd likely not be playing in the same event as you. (though I do note Todd White qualified out of BH's place and he's pretty **** good).

>

> I was a pretty solid 4 last year. I shot between about 76 and 85 in my various tournaments. Towards the end of the year though, I started playing much better. I had one 73 where I was +4 after 2 holes and then shot a 68 in round 1 of a 2 day tournament (81 in the second grumble grumble). This year I've been steadily pretty good and between 71 and 75 for the most part. Couple of 79s recently but those were on monster courses, so I'm okay with those. I'd classify myself as a 3 now. Working on getting to 2. 1 is a long way away.

>

>

> > @Obee said:

> > Now THAT is what this thread is about. We play. We post. We discuss. :-)

> >

> > There is such a fine line between each of the four levels of player out there. This could be separated into multiple sub-categories, of course, but four is close enough:

> >

> > 1. There are the guys who are (almost) always in the top 10 (within their age-range), regardless of the venue.

> > 2. The guys who qualify fairly regularly, but aren't as consistent as the "(almost) always top 10" guys

> > 3. The guys who every once in a while sneak into the top 10 and occasionally qualify

> > 4. The guys who seem to be forever stuck between 75 and 82 (Just because you shot 81, does NOT mean I'm putting you in this category, BH)

> >

> > The thing is, the "Category 1" guys almost never shoot a round that is outside the top 25% of any field they play in (in their age group). Competitive golf just seems to work this way. The best mid-am/senior am players simply shoot around the course rating when the chips are down in tournaments ... PERIOD. They are (almost) always "in the mix."

> >

> > There is no faking that kind of golf under pressure.

> >

> > For some, the way to improve a category is improving play IN TOURNAMENTS.

> >

> > For others, it's just a matter of even being capable of shooting a round below the course rating when the chips are down. If you don't do that REGULARLY at courses you've never played, then you will have a very difficult time competing against your region's best mid-ams/senior ams/ams.

> >

> > Discuss! :-)

> >

> >

> > > @bladehunter said:

> > > My USga mid am qualifier was yesterday. Was 1 under until 5 ... approach caught a tree and made double , which just seemed to let the air out of me. Have been under the weather for last week ( sinus infection again ) , not meaning that as an excuse. Just saying my legs left me somewhere around that approach shot which was a 6 iron. And I played defense the rest of the day. No hazards , no OB and no 3 putts all day. Just made the one putt on 2 and that’s it. Course played extremely long due to the rain the night before , and of course the tees were pushed to the limits. So long tee shots plus no roll equals long approaches. Long approaches when you are out of gas aren’t fun.

> > >

> > > But anyway. I enjoyed the experience. As I told someone else yesterday. I know I was around 85% health. 5 years ago I didnt play this game. Yesterday I played my first USga qualifier and didn’t embarrass myself. Pretty much mirrors my state am qUalifier. Couple bad swings and no putts made. It’s all good. I’ll be back.

> > >

> > > Link to scoring if you care. I’m around 40th place (J Hall ) click on the name for hole by hole.

> > >

> > > https://cga.golfgenius.com/pages/1801235

> > >

> > > On to the next. Club championship is Saturday and Sunday. 36 hole stroke play. I feel stronger every day. I’m looking for a win this time ... 2 real challengers ...if I can make a couple putts I’ve beaten either of them many times.

> >

> >

>

>

 

 

[Shades234]

> @Obee said:

> We need to hook up for a round at Bear Creek!

>

> > @Shades234 said:

> > Played a couple of events recently.

> >

> > Last weekend, I played the Oceanside City Am. Short, tight golf course. Not a big field. Probably 55 guys or so. Played decent enough golf, but bad swings are penalized out there and I made more than a couple bad swings. Shot 77-74 and finished ~20th. Played similarly both days but just didn't have penalty strokes on day 2. Goal was to use this as a tune-up for Mid-Am qualifying and I suppose it served its purpose.

> >

> > Today was US Mid-Am qualifying at Fairbanks Ranch CC in Rancho Santa Fe. I'm 25, so this was my first year eligible for the event. Shot a 74. 4 birds, 8 pars, 6 bogeys. There was 5-1 playoff at 71 for the 4th qualifying spot and alternates. Putted fairly well aside from a bad 3-putt from 25 feet and a meh 3-putt from 85 feet. Had a pretty good feel for the greens aside from a few blips and was hitting the ball decently for the most part. A couple of bad swings got me in trouble though. However, my 6 bogeys came in bunches of 3. So there was definitely a mental element to it. Pretty much made the exact same bad swing twice in a row. One bogey was a miracle bogey, the other was on a par 3 where I failed to convert the 6' par putt that I left myself with. 2 bogeys were due to poor target selection AKA a lack of trust in the line that I should've chosen and deciding to "play it safe" which put me in a worse position. One bogey was a misjudgement of the wind which had flipped directions for the only time today and the last one was the dreaded 3-putt from 25 feet. Definitely could've cleaned up the round a bit and put a better number out there, but that's golf.

> >

> > This closes my summer tournament season. I think it'd be easy to be disappointed since my results from this years rounds of qualifying were more or less the same as last year. However, last year I felt like when I walked off the course at these qualifiers that I had scored as well as I possibly could've with what I brought to the course that day. Over the past year I've attempted to become a much more complete player. I joined a difficult club which forced me to take stock of my game and realize how weak it actually was. I started to attack these weakness and I'm seeing more and more opportunities to improve.

> >

> > Going to keep working on making my swing more consistent. Been doing a lot of work on the trigger move that starts the sequence of my downswing. When I do it right, I flush it. When I don't, there's a good chance I'm hitting a ball into a difficult situation.

> >

> > I have a member guest next month and then a couple of local events (San Clemente + Coronado City Ams) in the Fall as well as US 4-ball qualifying. I treat 4-ball qualifying more like a 1 day guest-guest at a random club. Will try our best to make it back to Philly Cricket, but I view that day as more for fun than to grind.

>

>

 

Would love to sometime in the fall. Couple of my friends played Bear Creek for the qualifier Monday. Went up there for the challenge and got plenty of it. lol