Any Golfers out there?

[Disgruntled70sHab]

I took it up a year or so after I left the military and have been at it about four years now.

I almost always went for twilight rates because it's generally $15/$20 cheaper than regular rates. Haven't slept in over a weekend in a while because my tee-off times are as close to 7 AM as I can get them. This way we're finished anywhere from 3 hrs 15 mins, to 4 hrs.

One of the courses I like playing mainly out of convenience is Amherstview Golf Course. the course is laid out very well in that once you finish putting, you need only walk a few metres to get to the tee box for the next hole.

Here's the course layout.

Good people running the course there as well. This makes a difference too. Wish I had taken it up earlier but with the military I always didn't have time for too much else. However, I've never regretted taking it up now.

Dis Jr. comes with me from time to time, but I usually go with a group of buddies.

Will post a few more around this area later on.

Cheers.

[vin]

I didn't play until i hit 40.Then i was hooked.Unfortunately i could only play for a couple of years.I had to stop due to a shoulder injury,suffered at work.Sucks but what are you gonna do?I used to play at a course down your way once in a while.In Tweed. Its called Poplars Golf Course.Nice people and good prices.

[Skilly]

My golf game has gone down hill the past few years. It can no longer be described as golf ... it would tarnish the good name of golf to do so. My handicap has ballooned. Played today and only took 32 putts. You'd think that was good, but I took 11 drops!! ... If I ever learned to use a driver I'd be freaking good!! (And I am going to punich myself again by golfing tomorrow)

I am on a local golf association executive and run the Men's Golf League at my home course (Admiral's Green).... so yeah I golf, I golf ALOT ... and I go all over the province to do it, sometimes 4 hours out of my way, play the round and back home ... I love it that much. I dont even care about the score really .... but since I am also on a local handicapp committee I feel obligated (and it is RCGA rules) to report all my scores.

My love of golf is out with the guys, drinking, carrying on, ribbing each other ... little side bets ... beer .... and then planning for the next outing next week!! ;D

[Cranky]

I never felt anything as exhilarating as golfing in my thong.

[Deleted]

habsaddict said:

I never felt anything as exhilarating as golfing in my thong.

So that's what happened to my hat...

[Polarice]

I've been play steady now for about 7 years, although you'd never know it because my handicap hasn't moved in the last couple of years.

We usually play Saturday and Sunday mornings around 5am. We're usually done and are having breakfast at around 8:30am and have the rest of the day to spend with our families.

To me there's nothing like teeing off early in the morning with the sun starting to rise and seeing the deer or foxes running around the fairways. Its almost perfect, then my golf game ruins it all.

This is were I play: www.abercrombiegolf.com/

[Disgruntled70sHab]

habsaddict said:

I never felt anything as exhilarating as golfing in my thong.

Not to be confused with the "War Thong."

[Disgruntled70sHab]

skilly said:

My love of golf is out with the guys, drinking, carrying on, ribbing each other ... little side bets ... beer .... and then planning for the next outing next week!! ;D

As it should be, Skilly. It depends who I go out with, but we will sometimes mark every drop, slice, etc. On the other hand, I sometimes go out with guys who say after the 6th hole, "... waddya say we put the score card away ..."

It can get kind of expensive though. Green fees can get ridiculous depending where you go. We have to premium courses around Kingston. One is Loyalist Country Club and the other Smuggler's Glen.

Loyalist is like walking on a carpet the whole way. It's a pretty non-forgiving course that winds in and out of a new housing development ... people make odd decisions sometimes ;D But, it's good my buddies and I walk the courses. I just can't substantiate renting an electric cart anywhere let alone this course.

Smuggler's Glen likes to think of themselves as a Links Course. If you bury a ball in the ruff or the woods, it's gone. However, take a look at the green fees. As much as I'd like to say I golfed it, I can't fork out that kind of dough. It's not worth it.

Another one we go to sometimes is Colonnade Golf and Country Club. It's one of the nicest courses in the area, reasonably priced and run by super people. I've met the odd NHLer on that course as well; John Ershkin and Bryan Allen for two.

Got to run.

Cheers.

[franko]

Score card? Thre's a score card?

A successful game for me is to get the ball in the clown's nose at the end of the game.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Should mention there's a few courses to avoid around here if at all possible.

Camden Braes is not much better than a cow pasture. It's one of the longest courses around here but I found the ground too hard at times. The ball will go on for miles but the course can also ruin your clubs as well. Some of the greens are also in very poor condition as well.

Another one to avoid is Westbrook Golf Club and Driving Range. It's very poorly maintained and the staff will not cut you any breaks whatsoever. It's easy to lose a ball in the fairway because they're either not cut well enough or are sloped; the ball will just run off the fairway down embankments or into the woods.

Still, I feel pretty fortunate being able to get out on the course. Feel pretty good afterwards.

Cheers.

[Roggy]

I re-entered the golf world a couple of years ago, and saw some improvement last year. This year I've managed to straighten out the huge slice I had off the tee, but my short game has gone down the tubes. I can usually be on or beside the green in 2 or 3, but if I'm not on the green with my second shot, my chipping will usually add a couple of strokes to my score. I usually shoot between 100 and 105. My goal is to break 100 every round, but I've only managed that once this year (98). Another goal is to par at least 1 hole for every nine, and I'm starting to make that happen regularly.

I don't really have a home course, I golf around the Calgary area and have played 9 different courses so far this year. Some of my favorites...

www.heritagepointe.com/
www.speargrass.ca
www.heatherglengolf.com

I'll hit up my tenth course of the year Monday morning at 10:08. www.lakesidegreens.com

[Disgruntled70sHab]

roggy said:

I re-entered the golf world a couple of years ago, and saw some improvement last year. This year I've managed to straighten out the huge slice I had off the tee, but my short game has gone down the tubes. I can usually be on or beside the green in 2 or 3, but if I'm not on the green with my second shot, my chipping will usually add a couple of strokes to my score. I usually shoot between 100 and 105. My goal is to break 100 every round, but I've only managed that once this year (98). Another goal is to par at least 1 hole for every nine, and I'm starting to make that happen regularly.

I don't really have a home course, I golf around the Calgary area and have played 9 different courses so far this year. Some of my favorites...

www.heritagepointe.com/
www.speargrass.ca
www.heatherglengolf.com

I'll hit up my tenth course of the year Monday morning at 10:08. www.lakesidegreens.com

I'm actually pretty happy with boggy golf, Roggy. It's those two/three holes that eat up the score. And it's usually not the same holes.

If I'm on with my driving then the rest of day is alright. My chipping seems to be working much better this year but reading the greens can be deceiving. Very hard to figure out sometimes.

I see that Heritage Pointe has gold tees as well.

I have friend I golf with who hails from AB. Says the golfing out there is awesome. The courses you include seem to back that up.

Cheers.

[Roggy]

The golfing out here and in the nearby BC mountains is excellent. I tend to stick to the more casual courses, Heritage Pointe excluded. I don't fancy myself a good enough golfer to want to take on the monster courses with guys that do those courses justice. So I tend to go with guys around the same skill level as me and guys like us tend to hit smaller, more local clubs.

Fortunately, I have a career where taking some guys golfing can be all in a day's work, so I don't always have to pay my own way. It helps take some of the sting out of the $115 round of golf.

[jkr]

The occasional trip to the driving range is fun but I haven't played a round in many years - just found it too frustrating.

[CrocRob]

My friends and I organize a yearly trip down to the US to golf. It's so cheap it's embarassing for courses up here. Last year we stayed in Raleigh, N.C. and the golf (7 rounds over 5 days) only cost like $250 per person. The cheapest course we played was $18 (it was a local training course) and the most expensive was $55.. and it was a championship course that had previously held the USGA Amateur Championship. Of course, all green fees (except the training course) included cart with GPS and a snack.

Around here (I live near Kitchener, Ontario) I have to pay $75 for a decent course and then a cart is an additional $15-30, depending on the course.

This year we're not going as far, just down to Maryland. It's worthwhile heading down south for golf, boys.

[Cranky]

I hear there are a lot of accountants that play golf. It's how they learn to be creative wiith numbers.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

habsaddict said:

I hear there are a lot of accountants that play golf. It's how they learn to be creative wiith numbers.

Don't have to be an accountant for that, HA

My buddy shot a pretty good front nine today, only to blow up on the back nine ... happens to everyone in our group from time to time. He tallied the final scores and didn't include everything ... still wound up with a 101 And me ... a 99 and that was with FOUR pars.

Ah well ... only lost one ball today.

But, after that we swung by picked up Dis Jr and headed for the local pub for lunch. Made for a pretty good morning all around.

Cheers.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

# 10 -- Golfer: "I think I'm going to drown myself in the lake."
Caddy: "Think you can keep your head down that long?"

# 9 -- Golfer: "I'd move heaven and earth to break 100 on this course."
Caddy: "Try heaven, you've already moved most of the earth."

# 8 -- Golfer: "Do you think my game is improving?"
Caddy: "Yes sir, you miss the ball much closer now."

# 7 -- Golfer: "Do you think I can get there with a 5 iron?"
Caddy: "Eventually."

# 6 -- Golfer: "You've got to be the worst caddy in the world."
Caddy: "I don't think so sir. That would be too much of a coincidence."

# 5 -- Golfer: "Please stop checking your watch all the time. It's too much of a distraction."
Caddy: "It's not a watch - it's a compass."

# 4 -- Golfer: "How do you like my game ?"
Caddy: "Very good sir, but personally, I prefer golf."

# 3 -- Golfer: "Do you think it's a sin to play on Sunday?"
Caddy: "The way you play, sir, it's a sin on any day."

# 2 -- Golfer: "This is the worst course I've ever played on."
Caddy: "This isn't the golf course. We left that an hour ago."

And the # 1 Best Caddy Comment.....

Golfer: "That can't be my ball, it's too old.
Caddy: "It's been a long time since we teed off, sir."

[Kareem]

Yes, I love golfing and I also love those golfing carts, they're so easy to "boost" if you have some knowledge of a motor. There's a driving and practice range right near my house, so I enjoy going there, only I don't have a car anymore. Well, when I get back from out west next year I'll definetly try to play more often.

Any affordable course you guys recommend?

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Long weekend is over ... got out five times (twice on Saturday). Shot under 100 consistently which is unusual for me.

Now ... reality sets in ... back to work.

Cheers.

[Skilly]

disgruntled70shab said:

Long weekend is over ... got out five times (twice on Saturday). Shot under 100 consistently which is unusual for me.

Now ... reality sets in ... back to work.

Cheers.

Last time I was out I shot a 95. But it was a truly depressing 95 ... even though that is a consistent score for me.

I was on the number 6 tee-box (a par 5). I always seem to slice my drive into the woods to the right on this hole, so I decided I would pull out my three wood and just get it out there safely. I heard a metallic twang on impact and watched my ball go straight, about 100 yrds, and when I completed my follow-through I noticed that I only had my grip in my hand and my buddies were laughing and pointing to the woods. I looked just in time to see the rest of my club sailing about 50 yrds into the woods on the left. (it snapped in two right at the grip) My favourite club too ... a Taylor Made V-steel 3 wood.

The rest of the round I had to make do with my 5 wood ... and surprisingly I found out that I should use it more. But my mind was always on my 3-wood. I noticed the guy I bought it off of a few holes later (he work at the Nevada Bob's where I bought it) and he told me he would contact Taylor Made first thing in the morning but I should try to find the club.

So the next day I went bushwhacking and found the club (after 30 minutes) and went back to Nevada Bob's with both parts. He said Taylor Made was going to replace it even if I didnt find the other part. God love Taylor Made!! He said I may not get another V-steel, but could wind up with an R7. Nothing wrong with that.

All my clubs are Taylor Made (RAC irons, R580 driver, and the V-steel 3 woods) My wedges are cheap ones and I have a King Cobra 5 and 7 wood. But will now try to get all the clubs Taylor Made if they are this good to deal with all the time.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

skilly said:

disgruntled70shab said:

Long weekend is over ... got out five times (twice on Saturday). Shot under 100 consistently which is unusual for me.

Now ... reality sets in ... back to work.

Cheers.

Last time I was out I shot a 95. But it was a truly depressing 95 ... even though that is a consistent score for me.

I was on the number 6 tee-box (a par 5). I always seem to slice my drive into the woods to the right on this hole, so I decided I would pull out my three wood and just get it out there safely. I heard a metallic twang on impact and watched my ball go straight, about 100 yrds, and when I completed my follow-through I noticed that I only had my grip in my hand and my buddies were laughing and pointing to the woods. I looked just in time to see the rest of my club sailing about 50 yrds into the woods on the left. (it snapped in two right at the grip) My favourite club too ... a Taylor Made V-steel 3 wood.

The rest of the round I had to make do with my 5 wood ... and surprisingly I found out that I should use it more. But my mind was always on my 3-wood. I noticed the guy I bought it off of a few holes later (he work at the Nevada Bob's where I bought it) and he told me he would contact Taylor Made first thing in the morning but I should try to find the club.

So the next day I went bushwhacking and found the club (after 30 minutes) and went back to Nevada Bob's with both parts. He said Taylor Made was going to replace it even if I didnt find the other part. God love Taylor Made!! He said I may not get another V-steel, but could wind up with an R7. Nothing wrong with that.

All my clubs are Taylor Made (RAC irons, R580 driver, and the V-steel 3 woods) My wedges are cheap ones and I have a King Cobra 5 and 7 wood. But will now try to get all the clubs Taylor Made if they are this good to deal with all the time.

A sweet deal for sure, Skilly. I never knew Taylor Made had such excellent support in place. I had the opportunity to try a TM Hybrid at a promotion by one of the local golf stores. I hit 10 balls and hit the first 8 clean as a whistle. Then I asked about the price ... then promptly thanked the proprietor and put the club back on the rack.

My clubs are Top Flight. The entire set costs $229.00 but I got them on sale for $149.00 and I'm hitting them well. Yesterday I shot a 96: 53 on the front nine ... oh the pain! However, my score could have been 41 on the back nine had it not been for me letting up on a couple of putts.

Still, all I used yesterday was my driver, 5 (once on a par 3), 6, 9, PW and putter. Everything else (including the hybrids) stayed in the bag. I never bought into the concept that you don't have to hit the ball hard in order to be effective. However, this weekend I decided to give it a try and the control game worked very well. Heck, I was using my 9-iron from about 140 yards out because the fairways were so dry. But, the safe shots were working for sure.

Shot a 47 on the front nine Saturday and a 43 on the back nine yesterday. Hard stringing them together but that's golf ... and a couple of beers afterwards. Still a bad day on the course is better that being in the office.

Cheers.

[SiR]

I've won a couple of hacker tournaments. Usually shoot low 80s and have a few rounds in the 70s here and there. If I played more I'd probably be in the 70s more consistently. The key to the game really is practicing your short game. I never had a lesson until my 5th or 6th year of playing golf where I tuned up my grip/posture and a couple of minor full swing fundamentals. But beyond that my biggest growth was when I picked up a membership at a driving range with a full short game practice area. Bunkers/putting greens/pitching greens. Spend only an hour or two a week practicing that area of the game and those of you that are shooting around 100 will easily shoot in the low 90s even into the 80s. Of course you need some basic fundamentals first, but practice your short game above everything else. I even practice my putting at home on the living room carpet.

As for products, I pretty much use Mizuno for all my irons including wedges and they're fantastic. Like the Taylor Made story above, they replaced an iron I broke no questions asked. Most, if not all of the big name companies will do this.

[Skilly]

sir said:

I've won a couple of hacker tournaments. Usually shoot low 80s and have a few rounds in the 70s here and there. If I played more I'd probably be in the 70s more consistently. The key to the game really is practicing your short game. I never had a lesson until my 5th or 6th year of playing golf where I tuned up my grip/posture and a couple of minor full swing fundamentals. But beyond that my biggest growth was when I picked up a membership at a driving range with a full short game practice area. Bunkers/putting greens/pitching greens. Spend only an hour or two a week practicing that area of the game and those of you that are shooting around 100 will easily shoot in the low 90s even into the 80s. Of course you need some basic fundamentals first, but practice your short game above everything else. I even practice my putting at home on the living room carpet.

As for products, I pretty much use Mizuno for all my irons including wedges and they're fantastic. Like the Taylor Made story above, they replaced an iron I broke no questions asked. Most, if not all of the big name companies will do this.

The short game is my bread and butter ..... rarely three putt. My chipping and flopping is pretty good ....

My problem is the 8-12 drops I have to take off the tee box ... arrgghhhh I hate driving!!

[SiR]

Yeah that ought to kill it. Try a different approach off the tee box until you're comfortable with a driver. Give up the distance and inaccuracy of your driver for a hybrid or long iron just to put the ball in play. If you take three strokes to get to the green on any given hole, you can easily two-putt for a 5 or drop the occasional putt for a 4. Averaged out over 18 holes and you're shooting a 90 or better. When I was looking to break 90 for the first time I'd consider my own personal par to be 5 whether it was a par 3, 4 or 5. It gives you a completely different outlook on how you play.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

skilly said:

sir said:

I've won a couple of hacker tournaments. Usually shoot low 80s and have a few rounds in the 70s here and there. If I played more I'd probably be in the 70s more consistently. The key to the game really is practicing your short game. I never had a lesson until my 5th or 6th year of playing golf where I tuned up my grip/posture and a couple of minor full swing fundamentals. But beyond that my biggest growth was when I picked up a membership at a driving range with a full short game practice area. Bunkers/putting greens/pitching greens. Spend only an hour or two a week practicing that area of the game and those of you that are shooting around 100 will easily shoot in the low 90s even into the 80s. Of course you need some basic fundamentals first, but practice your short game above everything else. I even practice my putting at home on the living room carpet.

As for products, I pretty much use Mizuno for all my irons including wedges and they're fantastic. Like the Taylor Made story above, they replaced an iron I broke no questions asked. Most, if not all of the big name companies will do this.

The short game is my bread and butter ..... rarely three putt. My chipping and flopping is pretty good ....

My problem is the 8-12 drops I have to take off the tee box ... arrgghhhh I hate driving!!

I never really thought of the short game until this year. But, "SiR" is right about it.

Not a stranger to three-putting, Skilly. Some of those greens are very hard to read ... diceiving actually. It takes the winds out of your sails when you're on in two and end up three-putting. But, at the same time it's really nice when you can sink a 20-foot break for a par. I find birdies a bit of a tease if that makes any sense.

Driving: Hmm ... there's still some holes on my regular golf course that I simply can't play well off the tees. I compensated for this over the weekend though. I did everything I normally did but this time I just controlled by back swing a little more. As it turned out, the drives didn't go as far as they sometimes do. But, I was on the fairway straight and narrow. And I was on the green in both cases, in two.

I had a buddy tell me once that you can get a good indication how well you're golfing by just adding up how many strokes you take while putting. And how.

Cheers.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

sir said:

Yeah that ought to kill it. Try a different approach off the tee box until you're comfortable with a driver. Give up the distance and inaccuracy of your driver for a hybrid or long iron just to put the ball in play. If you take three strokes to get to the green on any given hole, you can easily two-putt for a 5 or drop the occasional putt for a 4. Averaged out over 18 holes and you're shooting a 90 or better. When I was looking to break 90 for the first time I'd consider my own personal par to be 5 whether it was a par 3, 4 or 5. It gives you a completely different outlook on how you play.

I have two hybrids in my golf bag and they replace the 3 and 4 irons. I like using them off the tees as well. Will use them on the long par-3's.

It's funny you mentioned giving up distance. Some of my friends refer to it as smart golf. You don't need to kill the ball in order to have a great shot. And playing "boggie golf" actually works once you see the results.

I'd like to break 90 this year but I don't think it's going to happen. I just don't have the time to get out as much as I want to. However, next year is a different story.

Cheers.

[SiR]

My driving and long game are actually my biggest weaknesses in my overall game. I just recently found a driver I was finally comfortable with that's fairly long and straight. I still only hit the ball on average about 240-250 yards off the tee. That's good enough for me if I'm not spraying it all over the place. My strong point is definitely my irons and wedges and I have put together a pretty decent putting and chipping game. I've turned a lot of potential disasters into respectable scores on some holes and I owe that 100% to my short game. Where I would normally score a 7 or an 8 I've turned into bogeys. The pars and birdies fall into place where they will but I try not to force the issue. I just play to my strengths rather than my weaknesses.