Supercharger509

Golf stories-

Ok--Well I won't be golfing against you.  Or I should say---YOU wouldn't be golfing with me!  I've only thought about golf the past 13 yrs.  The first 3 with 1 exception each year, I limited to Par 3 courses with no customers.  My partner, and sometimes her sister (when we played the 18's), were two of the smokingest hotties in that state.  So I stunk, but enjoyed the scenery.

Since then, new state, no babes, but no longer embarassed to get out on a real course.  In fact last fall, I got to golf with Jim Thome.  Purely accidental.  And yes, he's quite good.  My best score ever was that day, and I shot only a 102.  I average about 5 rounds per summer (including a  3 week/month club slot one summer).

Four summers ago, I was in a regular club slot.  A 7:55 AM Saturday tee time.  Same guys usually in front of, and behind us.  The 10th hole on that course has owned me since the first time I played it.  One exception was a day when the crew behind us had only ONE of their regulars.  And the guys (3) in front of us were all different than usual, and really were terrible.  The usual 4-some was in front of the 3-some. We were patient.  The Ranger came by twice to rush us, both times we were waiting to hit our second shots.  The guys in front were holding up everyone.  When the ranger came by a 3rd time, he told us to pick up our balls and move to the next hole.  My buddy blew up and said, why don't you tell those guys in front of us that they need to let a few groups play through before teeing off.  The Ranger told us to not tell him his job.  He wouldn't let us play out of order either.  We refused to pick up.  Anyway, the guys behind us were hitting into us constantly.  This ranger was not the usual guy.

On this ONE and ONLY day, I was OWNED the 10th.  Its a 615 yd par 5 with an almost 90 degree dog to the right about 100 yds from the hole.  BUT - it's down about a 3-5 story drop in elevation during the dogleg.  A huge pond separates the hill from the green.  Its an average sized green, surrounded tightly by woods on all sides (oob) except the pond.  THAT day, I dropped my third shot on the front of the green, and got a real good role.  It was going to be a birdie.    I was standing on the edge of the pond admiring my shot, and for once watching my partners struggle when all the sudden, I got slammed in my left butt cheek.  I was startled and almost stumbled.  Unknown to me, one fo my buddies had just climbed into his cart when his cart got hit by the guys behind us on the 8th hole.  He grabbed the ball that hit me, tossed it in the pond, and then asked us let the guys behind play through--he had to take care of something.  We were worried he was going to insert one of his irons somewhere in the group behind, but he just took off.  While he was gone, the ranger thanked us for letting the folks play through, and maybe we should let the group after them too.  We went ballistic, and pointed to the next tee where the 3-some was screwing around drinking, not playing while the course was empty in front of them.  He told us not to worry about them!  Note: we would have been waiting to tee off if our buddy was back.  I had ended up parring the 10th, missing my easy birdie putt by only an inch or so.  Sorry to ramble so long.  We waited and waited and decided to call it a day.  We bumped into our buddy at the clubhouse, and he was even madder than before.  I didn't know it at the time, but he was a charter member at that club, and none of his contacts were available to speak with.  Even the "Booze Buggy" drivers were fill-ins.  We ended up getting 3 free rounds of play after my buddy finally spoke to the owner the following Monday.  We decided to drop our membership there though and I haven't golfed there since.  We didn't get any apologies, but the free golfing was nice, since it was $ 76 per person each round.

Golf stories-

509,

I haven't golfed in years mainly because I was really bad.  I have many famous aweful shots--I hooked one of the tee on a par five next to a main road, crossing the road and landing in a Taco Bell parking lot.  My buddies say it hit the bell--but not true!  I was not good out of the sand.  One time I found myself on a fancy resort type course and had joined a threesome as a single.  I sculled a shot out of a greenside bunker and nearly killed this distinguished lady across the green who wasn't looking.  The ball shot right by her ear.

So, we used to have a regular foursome and played all summer.  Towards fall, we had our big grudgematch and the losers had to buy dinner for the winners.  My buddy and I had won like 3 years in a row.  We played one point for low ball and you lose one point for high score each hole.  I was terrrible and we were down 4 points going into the last 3 holes.  I suddenly caught fire and on the last tee we were just down one point.  It was a long uphill par 4.  I wound up in the sand trap (yikes) in front of the green in two.  My partner is in the trap across and in back of the green also in 2.  Our opponents are both looking at par putts of about 10 feet.  Miracle of miracles, I put my sand shot about 3 feet from the cup.  My buddy holes his sand shot for a birdie.  These guys are  shook, one of them makes his putt, but the other misses. I sink mine--and dinner never tasted so good!

Golf stories-

Great story CentralMass.  I have been golfing for 18 years and I've never been hit by a golf ball from another player. I've had balls bounce off the top of the cart, roll between my legs while standing in the fairway, stuff like that- but never hit me. I'm playing in a tournament tomorrow with 4 buddies who like drinking just as much as I do. We actually won the tournament last year (-7)but went to my buddies pool and drank for awhile and didn't get the score card in on time. We blew a chance of getting our names etched on a plaque at the VFW. I shoot between 42-46 for 9 holes, which works out to low- mid 90's for 18. I came about a foot and a half from my first ever hole-in-one last night. It was a par 3 (138 yards) and I hit an 8- iron. I'll be on my way to a very good score and whammo- here comes the 6 or 7. A chilli-dipped pitching wedge or a sculled 4- iron is almost inevitable for me in the round. As my grandfather would say- "I get my moneys worth."

Golf stories-

-509

With those scores, you'd go nuts golfing with me.  My long game is perhaps a little above average.  My tee shots alternate with my 3+ putts every other hole.  I'll tell ya, if I could cut out half of my 3+-putts, I'd be below 100.  The past 1.5 yrs, my tee shots are starting to gain some good precision.  I had to give up ALOT of distance to do that, but its actually resulting in less strokes per round for me.  I KNEW the fairway was good, but I didn't get to play there much!  Getting rid of my slice was a good thing.  Now I am starting to get a little confidence bending the tee shots in either direction.  I still can't hit a decent bump-and-run tee shot though.  I use a Varden-grip, and 'strong-or-weak' has been my MO on the bends.  I've only gotten out 2X this year, but had decent  luck off the tees with my Driver.  My Iron tee shots need attention though.  I am very good with the fairway and/or rough irons--it's just the tee shots that suck ( i.e. Par 3's are killing me!). 

Chili-dipping my chip shots was cured awhile back, but inside-outting them still happens once a round.  By that I mean the bizarre results of trying to chip a 40 yarder, and having it go 45 degrees off the line.  AArrgg!  I hate those!!!

The putting has become a SEVERE problem.  I have sooo many putts make a 270 degree circuit around the cup, and then spit out to the right for about 4-7 inches, that it kills me.  Its ALWAYS to the right, and in terms of physics, seems to be a problem-frequency WAY above average.  If I hit them too hard, they don't always make it the full 270 degrees.  Sometimes they are 200-220 degrees around the cup.  I've been blaming the bifocals, but the truth is, I know its just my aim.  I am listening to any suggestions!!

Golf stories-

Yesirree

But EYE AM the BEST 120 golfer there ever was or will be. And bein lefty either swings it in my favor or way out.

For instance, theres a course in NJ called Colonial Terrace, possibly the worst 9 hole course ANYWHERE, but a lefty is toast there. Every lie is a downhill lie, the greens are microscopic, and well just a tough place to play, but easy on the wallet.

As an opposite, there is a course here called Jamestown, which all rightys think is a hard course, but I found it quite easy to play.

I almost broke 90 but then I moved from Georgia...we would play every other weekend.

This golf story is true......Im out with my nephew, who could play pretty good, and we are playing in soggy conditions, so he wants to bet this long par five off the hill. So we go both OOB, go again both OOB again, then he gets in the fair way, Im ALMOST OOB again.

ANyway, hes two up just off the green, Im in the fairway about 100yds out. I pull out my 9 , eye it up and hit it square, splashin myself with mud, watchin go STURAIGHT at the pin. It comes down, and I m tryin to see where it went, it looked like it stopped dead on the green near the hole.

We get up there, and the ball Plugged 4 inches from the hole! Pat was pissed, but thats what a great 120 golfer can do to ya!

Golf stories-

Goiggles---

Most of those 13 yrs - 120 was A Goal.  I hear ya.  Isn't it great when a shot comes out of our butts AND TURNS OUT GOOD!!!!  I still have to pat myself on the back when THAT happens.

-509

It sounds like you've reach a proficiency level where "drinking"  is your principal focus.  I not only APPLAUD that, I tip my cap to you.  I can't wait until (IF!) I get to that point.  I am NOT being sarcastic.  That has been one of goals ever since the very first golf pro couldn't take it anymore and came up to me and said, "Son, just how long has it been since you last hit a baseball?"  I am not exaggerating.  He then said, "That's a real nice swing for the diamond, but we aren't going to let you on the course until that changes ALOT!".  Then he gave me SEVERAL critical tips to get STARTED golfing.  I wish I knew that old guy's name--he really did point me in the right direction.

Nobody suggested that the cure for my pathetic putting might be the P-word::::::::::::::::::; PRACTICE.  I know this, and let me assure you---i SMOKE the practice green.  Apparently I am COMPLETELY clueless when it comes to reading the greens though

Thanks for the thread Supercharger509!.   This venting is turning out to be very therapeutic...............

Golf stories-

Central- the game of golf changed me as a person. What I mean by that is back in my younger days, I was pretty much a major D-bag. Hot tempered, loved to fight, blamed people for my mistakes, etc. When I first started playing golf, I would swear, throw clubs and just be an ass in general. Then something happened. I threw my $100  3- wood and busted it in half on the cart. I looked around and there was nobody there to blame- besides myself. The game of golf taught me to take a deep breath and calm myself down. Although I do sometimes slam a pitching wedge into the grass when I don't swing through it- I'm human!

Here's a little putting tip I got from a buddy of mine. Whatever ball you use, make sure the writing on it is in a straight line(Titleist seems to work the best for me) and line the name up with the trajectory of the path you are reading to the hole. My putter has a two inch line on the back of it and I line up that line perpendicular to the name on the ball. I've cut 3-4 strokes off of my rounds simply by doing this. It's to the point now where I sometimes don't even look at the hole.......ok......maybe once, but for speed only. If you use a Callaway or Nikey ball, the name is curved but you can buy a plastic gadget at Walmart that wraps around the ball then you draw a straight line around the ball with a marker. Happy putting!

Golf stories-

Damn Goiggles, I didn't know you were a golfer? A lefty to boot? Breaking 90 is a great round for me. I played in a tournament this past Sunday and had just as many swings as beers. It was best ball on the Drive but everyone played their own ball the rest of the way and we took the TWO lowest scores. We all played terrible and ended up +9. That's the bad news- now the good news- we had 60 ice cold beers, a gallon mixture of lemonade and vodka and some fine cigars. Did I mention the already peeled and cooked  shrimp and cocktail sauce? It was a great course (6800 yards long) and everyone involved had a great time. I stuck a 9-iron 4 feet from the hole(124 yards) in hopes of getting a "Closest to the Pin" prize but I was beat out by someone in the second to the last foursome. The prize was a $200 Odyssey putter. It didn't bother me not winning that- I love my $20 Job Lot putter- I wouldn't trade it for anything ;-)

Golf stories-

Oh yes 509,

But ya know i started late (37), because growin up bein lefty AND golf just didn't mix. Dad wasn't into golf, and when I DID go to the range, there weren't any lefty clubs, and let me tell you, I am a LEFTY. I can't do anything RH except hit a baseball in the Batting cage, and that was fron a lot of practice. Usin a screwdriver and pliers and tools in general are an exception.

And its tough bein LH and playin Captains choice or whatever,because I always got fucked on the lie the RH's chose.

Golf is a game that DEMANDS practice. John Daly would say he didn't practice, but he HAD to...to Win.

My Bro-in-law is the one who took me out, and even though he is a big asshole, (we don't talk now )...he took the time then to show me the CORRECT way to play THE GAME.

What we would do is take the vodka along and about half way through start hittin it, because we were older and usually walked the course and the pain alieviating effects of the Absolute worked but it also affected the game.

That was my wife's brother. Now my wife's sister's husband was a "golfer" more like salesman, but he was lefty but played RH, and that just boggles my mind. I keep a RH wedge to save a stroke in some situations, but usually we ain't countin all strokes or drinks.

But EVERYTIME i play, THEE 120 master shows up SOMEWHERE on the course.

As for putting, I have found that

1) A short putt never drops

2) Always aim about 6 inches either way of the hole (on longer putts), because thats where the ball ends up if you aim AT THE hole.

3) Otherwise just hit it right at the hole, if it misses by an inch, you can't see it anyway.

And as for the "prize thing", My B-Law puts a $20 bill in the cup on this one hole I'm puttin, a BIG L-to-R break, but since we played the hole earlier, I had a bead on it. You know it went in, and Mr Anthony, who could get blood out of Lincoln's nose from a penny....was pissed.

Quite a priceless day.

Golf stories-and 80's band

AND i'll kick off the 80's Band thing.

I have been playing Electric Bass since 1970. I was into R&R and I still am, except rock music has been thin since the early 90's.

But ANYWAY, In the late 70's we had a band called the WhiteBoys, yes...WhiteBoys, straight outta Newark NJ, but thats a side note. Way after that, after playin cover for oh six  years or so, then just lettin it go, (and gettin divorced in the meantime),  my NEW girlfriend at the time, my wife of 20+ years now( alot of people know her here)  is out at a bar on the Jersey coast callen the Sea Gull's Nest in Sandy hook with her sister. These two then were two hot numbers, I used to call her sister my second wife.

ANYWAY, They are there and in comes Jon Bon Jovi, with (as my wife said) some ugly red head and an entourage.

Well they settle in and guess what? Mr Bon Jovi offers my soon to be wife a drink.

You would figure, since at that time , Bon Jovi had almost broken up and Jon had just bought the alcoholic bass player out of the band, and they had stopped touring to REPLACE the BASS player.

What does sig other say? No! NNNNOOOOO!

Thats how close I wuz to bein on the coast wherever I wanted to be, but now Im here here, which BTW doesn't compare.