So, how did you play today? Part II

[ChrisWoj]

First competitive round of 2024 for me.

Sanctioned league round at Whiteford StoneCo Park. Rating came out to 935, in very high winds. Overall I'm just very happy with my ability to keep my head together. There were stretches at the beginning and in the late middle that could have unraveled me.

Right off the bat, starting on 12, I had some horrible drives and rough approaches on 12, 13, and 15 that required some really difficult approaches just to get to the pin for a 4. First one, on 12, was just a testy 150 hyzer through the woods. 13 was a 250 straight to fade with a pinch around 175, and 15 I was simply OB with 250 to go.

Used what momentum I had to try to salvage a strong round. Made what short tester putts I encountered for a while.

But ran into the second rough stretch from 3-6. Missed 5 putts in 4 holes from 21'-30'. On 3 I overestimated the head wind and slammed it into the cage from 24', on 4 I finished a comedy of errors with a wide chain hit off from 27'. On 5 I went off chains from 30' (though made the 21' headwind comeback), and on 6 I went wide off chains again from 24' and this time the 21' headwind comeback slammed cage.

But I kept my head enough to keep from making continued errors in the wind. Made a nice 30' putt on 8 to salvage a par. Made a nice 25' to salvage par on 9. Salvaged my cash plus some gas money with a CTP on 10, and despite a missed 21' putt on 11 for bird I feel like I did a good job holding tournament focus in tough conditions.

It's well below my rating, but as far as first competitive rounds go - I am very satisfied with the start.

Haven't putted in a week and a half since finishing my month of putting. Gotta reboot the routine this week after a very busy ten days.

 

[geebob]

Just a day of fieldwork yesterday after feeling some knee pain in the morning. I think it is just my usual aches and pains so am looking forward to an up-coming five day weekend featuring lots of rounds.

I did make it out Saturday with a starting temperature of 30F and wind gusts up to 25mph. Had a really solid day on my favorite local course, aside from a hole where I took a 7 with two OB strokes into a ferocious headwind. Was really happy to card my best ever score on two trickier holes (one admittedly wind aided).

 

[mostlynorwegian]

Humbled at Highland, Joliet. Two rounds with all the moods and wishes woods golf on a windy day can grant. I will remain in awe at the twosome playing the course with one disc each and making us with our backpacks filled with molds look silly.

 

[ChrisWoj]

Got out for my second competitive round of the year and the week yesterday evening! A nice round of random draw doubles at Parmelee Park, our local super-short wooded track (only about 4 holes over 250').

Had a great draw - my partner was a friend who started about the same time as me back around 2005, who carries in his bag two discs that I gave him in 2013 when Dynamic hooked up with Lat/WS and started having their own molds run. A 2009 Monkey Island Open Zone and a pearly "pro-line" plastic Champion Monster.

On the other side of the card was a local rec player who has been a blast the couple of times I've thrown with him and a kid named Hayden Carroll that I hope you'll all be seeing soon enough. First time I have ever thrown with him. A rising 954 17-year old who has a 1043, 2 1017s, 1010, 2 1008s, and a 1007 under his belt since the start of the year (and only 1 round below his rating, a 952).

Side note: we realized as we were golfing that the pearly Monster is older than Hayden. lol.

And a thought I just now had, thinking of that: we're very close to seeing guys winning on the Pro Tour that were born after the Discraft Zone was approved. I know others have had that "oy, I feel old" moment years ago, but thats one that'll hit me for sure!

I came out firing. Put the disc just shy of pin high on the 400' hole 3, about 40 out. Drilled the jumper in the heart. From there I put it within 15' on 4 and 5, made a 25' on 6, put it within 15' on 7-14. Drilled another jumper right into the center on 15 from 40'. Missed 16, a very easy hole, from 80, our first miss. Then made a 35' putt on 18, dropped in on 1, and hit a 60' putt on 2 to close it out.

Nailing 4 out of 5 jumpers, all centered up, felt great. Only miss was from out into C3.

The putting practice pays off major as always - my form is more compact and clean than its been in a few years. I'm using the same feel and pop from the elbow down on every single putt whether I'm 15' or 60', and the only variation is in the arm swing and nose angle. Disc is coming out up-down right on the stripe every time.

I also made my wife proud with one of the long putts. The putt on hole 15 from 40' was a touch high, smashed just under the chain support at the top and ran elevator-down into the basket and my first instinctive reaction was to toss the horns up with both hands. Monica the Metal-head was very proud of her influence on me when I told her.

 

[EllEstar]

Hosted a C-tier at my local 18 holer today, and played in it too.

We got sunny and dry weather, but temps were "feels like" 20°F and wind was steady 20-25 mph with gusts up to 35-40.

I managed to mostly keep it clean, give myself several looks on holes that play really tough in the wind.

What I'm most proud of was my putting, I've been practicing a ton, and it shows in practice but hasn't been translating to competition. I realized that I really enjoy putting and think it's a super fun activity, I'll often take 10+ putts on holes when I'm playing, just because it's fun, and when I get lost in practicing I'll often spend several hours at it. But when I'm competing I dread putting, every time I park a hole I breathe a sigh of relief and when I step up to a 20 footer it'll immediately put a damper on my day.

So I decided to try to just shift my mindset. See myself making it as I'm lining up the putt and imagine the cool line it'll fly, hear the sound of the chains in my mind and enjoy how pure the line will be, and then just putt.

Well, I'm only one tournament in with this strategy, but this was probably a top 5 or 10 putting round of my life in competition. I had to deal with all sorts of wind and elevation, never three putted, made all my must makes and hit a bunch of very tricky 15-25' putts, into different winds, from the knee, uphill, downhill and around bushes. I missed 3 c1 putts but they were all the same, 30' uphill into a headwind, and they were all close misses.

Ended up shooting 45 points above my rating, which would've won MA1 or gotten 6th in MPO, which is solid for me. With that I think I'll hit an all-time high rating (by 1 point) next update, but it'll be close.

The tournament also went super smoothly, and people seemed really happy. Got to hand out a bunch of nice Easter-themed prizes at the end. All in all, a good day.

 

[Brychanus]

Cold weather shorties with my 2 year old working on tweaking my X-step. Still eeked out a -7 and saw some promising stuff coming out of my hand.

My 2 year old was throwing off the tee for the first time.

Her preferred throw was always a chicken wing, which was weird because I literally learned what that was just earlier this week.

 

[geebob]

Fun little tournament at Mt Airy yesterday. Got three random discs from their unclaimed lost and found, and played with those plus my putter. Fortunately, I got a Mako3 (my regular mid) and a TL (which is pretty close to the Hawkeye that I bag). I also got a Champ Valkyrie which was for me is very OS, so a handy hyzer disc. I played very well thanks to the familiar discs and wonderful card-mates. I played well, especially considering the number of left to right holes and my lack of a forehand or any under-stable discs, and finished in the middle of the pack.

Feeling like I had a little more golf in me, I went to my local course and got a fast 20 hole round in. Definitely one of my best rounds of the year for me, I was especially happy that I came back from a +3 start to finish even par (for perspective, good players here will shoot -10 and pros -15 or better).

 

[ChrisWoj]

Baby steps. Played the same league that I played last Sunday - Whiteford StoneCo Park.

Honestly? I think I played worse. But the rating disagrees. And some stuff went well, so okay?

Last week I scored, in pretty nasty winds, a 63. Overall I thought I played pretty well given the conditions. This week, in a cold up-and-down breeze that was occasionally bordering on calm I tossed a 58. Last week was a 935, this week was a 956. I definitely felt like I played a much stronger round last week.

The difference was probably the deep putting. Last week in the high winds I had a mostly solid putting round, with a 4 hole stretch where I missed 5 C1 putts. I don't think I putted much better this week with 2 C1 putts missed in calmer conditions. However, this time around I did manage a nice 3-hole stretch where I connected on 3 consecutive 40+ foot putts to catch birdie par birdie.

Overall had some tweaky back stuff going on, thanks to carrying around a dresser on Friday. Never really found any comfort off the tee, which had not been a problem in my few competitive rounds and my casual rounds so far this year. Just gotta nurse it a lil this week.

But, on the heels of Thursday's doubles round - I've hit 7 putts from C2 in my last two rounds of golf.

My overall putting stats last night were 71% C1X, 30% C2. The driving numbers were really hampered with a 61% fairway rate.

But.... in the end... it was good enough to get the W with a light field. The first four weeks of this league the win took a 1008, 1004, 986, and 979. I tied for the win with a 956. I'll count my lucky stars and my $9 in profit.

 

[adlacro]

I didn't want to post this yesterday because it was April 1...sigh...but here it goes.

I played a one round, non sanctioned event at one of my favorite parks. Went double bogey, birdie, bogey, par, double, bogey, double (+7) in the first seven holes. Nothing was working. My drives were off (the only reason I'm even somewhat decent) and it just snowballed from there.

I'm no longer having fun playing and am having SERIOUS thoughts about continuing to play. I have put my bag away until I pack my bags for MA.

 

[geebob]

I didn't want to post this yesterday because it was April 1...sigh...but here it goes.

I played a one round, non sanctioned event at one of my favorite parks. Went double bogey, birdie, bogey, par, double, bogey, double (+7) in the first seven holes. Nothing was working. My drives were off (the only reason I'm even somewhat decent) and it just snowballed from there.

I'm no longer having fun playing and am having SERIOUS thoughts about continuing to play. I have put my bag away until I pack my bags for MA.

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. Sometimes taking a break will help you get some perspective and help you rediscover your love of the game. Best of luck.

 

[TiltedFlipCurves]

Well the only thing I'm improving is turning drivers over and skipping them across ponds instead of throwing them over them Next tournament probably won't go great...

 

[TiltedFlipCurves]

Played Cedar Hills Championship (test for the Selinkske) and last place by 1. Did not have to be that way but 17 I missed 3 putts somehow and 16 a disc rolled to a place and I badly misjudged where the basket was and took 3 more to get under the basket. 5-6 throws in 2 holes down the drain

 

[Skamanda]

Gave away last cash on the last 2 holes of today's tournament. Splashed out for bogey, tying the round up, and on the last hole I was in position for a C1 par putt, with my friend Audrey throwing 4 - but then I three putted. Ended up with a 4 stroke swing in 2 holes.

It was Audrey's first cash in FPO if I remember right, so I can't feel too bad. She'd been fighting hard all round to keep up, through some really bad anxiety, and tough situations. I'm proud of her for beating me.

 

[geebob]

Practice round at Stonelick today. Still a few holes that I needed to figure out and am fairly confident now that I at least have a game plan for them. Lots of water and mud (which will likely be our reality with all the rain we've been getting), but I was pretty happy with my game. A few wild throws and bad breaks cost me some strokes, but I still beat my best score by four. It might have been my best day putting ever, so that's an encouraging sign.

 

[Countchunkula]

Not that great. My plant heel (I'm 99% rhbh) has been hurting me, so the last two rounds I've played standstill only to reduce strain while it (hopefully) heals. I was throwing pretty well yesterday at the short course (hit metal once), but today was a different story. The course I sometimes play at lunch has a bunch of water in play and is not a good place to experiment. Ended up just playing a bunch of extra shots on a few holes away from the water.

 

[EllEstar]

Played a short 9 holer today, got my first ace in almost 3 years on the first hole and proceedes to birdie the rest (technically I got an eagle, too, but it's a wide open 360', slight downhill throw that everyone plays as a par 3).

So that was fun.

 

[yossarian]

Played a C-tier on Sunday, my first time on a golf course layout, and at over 9000 feet the longest layout I've ever played. Bombed some good drives (by my standards), including over-throwing a 280' island by about 60 feet, possibly my best OB shot ever, lol. Didn't feel like I played particularly well, had a lot of OB trouble, but finished third of eight in MA50, so I'm content. Fun new course, and good to be out as always.

 

[ru4por]

Gonna try to squeeze in a round in the rain. Kind of looks like I will simply be doing course work in the rain instead though. Getting Hudson Mills ready for our A Tier, next weekend.

Hudson Mills Metropark - Monster
Hudson Mills Metropark - Original

To Do List for this Weekend
10m painted circles x36
Paint OB
Paint practice area
Trim a few trees
Trim a bunch of bushes
Sweep pads x72
Shovel some dirt off a few pads
Rake tee areas x72
Rake a few greens
Play pick up sticks
Quick sketch of tournament central. To include throwing area for player pack Tech Disc throw evaluation, practice baskets area,
Clear areas by hole 1 of each course for course check in / player announcement / water and snack stations.
Litter patrol

 

[geebob]

Went out to Hidden Ridge yesterday for an ace run and birdie tournament. I had pretty low expectations as the wind was blowing pretty heavily and the terrain produces some wild wind effects through the ridges and valleys. Luckily the scoring format (1 point for birdie, 2 points for metal, 3 points for an ace) suited me as my many tree hits just didn't punish me too badly and I did well enough on the open holes to cash in the novice/rec division. Turned out that even the serious talent couldn't hit an ace, so I didn't feel too bad about not bagging one.

Kind of sad that Hidden Ridge will be shut down until Fall. I've really come to love the regular humiliation that it has provided for me over the past few months. I totally understand that keeping the course open over the Summer would be a practical and financial impossibility with the amount of maintenance it would require, and I'll be looking forward to another crack at it in October or November.

 

[Countchunkula]

I played the Quarry at Rotary park in La Salle, IL yesterday with my older son. He played reds and I played whites. We both played pretty well. He had a few birdie looks and probably was only a handful of strokes over par*. Pretty solid for an 11 year old.

I had 3 birdies, a few bogies, and blew up my score on the par 4 9th and par 5 18th. From where my drive landed on 9, I could have played safe and taken an easy par. Tried for the birdie by cutting the dogleg over OB and came up about 15' short. Both approach and putt could have been better and I took a double. 18 ate me alive. OB off the tee and then nearly OB on the next, ending up pinched behind a evergreen. Tried to throw a stretch out forehand anhyzer up the steep slope that turned into an unintentional roller and didn't gain much distance after taking a turn back down the hill. The rest of my shots were ok, but the damage was done. Took an 8 for a triple. I don't think I could do better than a 5 on that hole with my current distance, so I guess it could have been worse.

Really fun round, but my plant foot is angry with me again.

*I keep track of my score in my head, but don't bother for the kids. They can let me know when they want to take it more seriously. For now just want them to keep having fun.