Random Golf Thoughts

PARlance · 06-10-2021 11:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117982344#Comment_117982344

If there's a club in Ireland with 36+ buggies out there, then I haven't played it.

If you were doing it over a weekend comp, you would probably need 72 odd buggies to have half of them charging at any one time.

It would be a costly experiment and Greta wouldn't be happy.

The Big Easy · 10-10-2021 7:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117986270#Comment_117986270

The odd game in buggy is fine (even better if on holiday) but I'd hate them to become the norm in Ireland. I love the fact you can't really use them in comps unless for a legitimate reason of which age and poor mobility is certainly one.

But healthy men whizzing around in buggies, no thanks, the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic is bad enough without making an outdoor pursuit more sedentary!

I agree that it can speed up play, which is needed, but it's certainly not the solution I favour.

callaway92 · 11-10-2021 4:43pm

For winter golf I think there’s a lot to be said for courses cutting their rough down drastically, almost to the point where it’s effectively a first cut length.

Good few times over the weekend where my 3 ball had issues with what we’d consider to be a half-decent drive ending up taking us a few minutes to find in the rough due to dampness and the grass pretty much covering the ball at times.

Wet rough in itself should be the punishment but length the same as summer rough is a bit unfair I think. Really does kill the love for things when you see a drive land but either can’t find it then or else need a few mins to search for it.

Ottoman_1000 · 13-10-2021 1:28pm

Guy I was playing with on Saturday was complaining about his driver after a few wayward drivers throughout his round. The fella was a decent player to be fair (playing off 9) but he pulled about 3 drivers OOB throughout his round. Anyway as we were going up the 18th we were chatting among the group and he mentioned that he was going back to fella that fitted him for the driver as he wasn't happy with it lately and he was not striking it near as well as when he first got it 5 months ago. It got me thinking, what can a fitter actually do in that instance? surely the poor drivers were down to a variance in his own swing more so than the actually club? As he said himself he was creaming it when he first got fitted 5 months prior...

spacecoyote · 13-10-2021 2:12pm

Maybe, if its a driver woth a lot of adjustable settings they'll be able to play around with weights, loft, etc... to tweak things if the guys swing has changed significantly (maybe he's had lessons since he was originally fit and changed his swing?)

Luckycharm · 13-10-2021 2:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118005422#Comment_118005422

Rough is tough at the moment and soon there will be an issue in our place with Leaves and can be very hard to find your ball when in the rough.

Frisbee · 13-10-2021 3:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118005422#Comment_118005422

Yeah my club is a nightmare for this in winter. You will hit a grand drive that just trickles off the fairway and when you get up it's luck of the draw whether you find it or not, it's extremely frustrating.

We also have a Par 3 where I lost two balls last year. It's on the lowest part of the course near water so gets very boggy, it's downhill from the tee as well. Twice last year I had balls land just shy of the green and when I got up couldn't find them they had disappeared so far underground😅

Ottoman_1000 · 13-10-2021 3:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118014078#Comment_118014078

Ya maybe so, this guy seemed fairly adamant that is was an issue with the driver and that he was going back to the fitter to rectify it as he felt he wasn't getting his value for money with the fitting.. I never said it but I was thinking how could it be an issue with the driver? The only variant that could have changed from the time he bought it was himself, so i was just curious about what the actually fitter could do for him? Surely if its a matter of just playing with the loft and weight settings a lesson with the local golf pro could work on that with him....

SuprSi · 15-10-2021 11:09am

I put this over on the funny GIFs thread but figured it would work better here

https://i.imgur.com/CcbOdnB.gif

blue note · 18-10-2021 1:38pm

Would you ever play from different tees to your playing partners? I like a bit of length in the course so would tend to go for the tees the Sunday comp is probably played from. But so often I'm playing with guys who want to play from the forward tees. And they're generally right to want to play from those tees, they're most suitable for them.

But I don't want to walk to different tees to them and I'd feel like a bit of a knob if I did anyway, so we'll just play from the same. If I was playing with a lady it would obviously be different.

callaway92 · 18-10-2021 1:39pm

I often play whites/blues and my Dad would play the green tees. Makes no difference to the round bar keeping the enjoyment there for him.

callaway92 · 18-10-2021 1:44pm

Curious one here actually- Blue tees comp (back tees)

First 17 holes the blues are there fine (some where the blue stone is and some nearer where the whites usually are).

18th hole then, no blue tees to be found, but the white tees are out where the white stone is. Do you (after having no luck ringing Pro Shop), play where the blue stone is or play from where the White Tees are out? Just for reference, on that 18th hole it is a significant difference so is an important thing for players who aren’t long drivers of the ball.

paulos53 · 18-10-2021 2:20pm

This is from the Interpretations section of the Rules of Golf. Unusually for the interpretations is not actually all that clear.

I would think that the Blue stone is the only reasonable location but based on below other people might think differently and not be penalised

6.1/1

What to Do When One or Both Tee-Markers Are Missing

If a player finds one or both tee-markers missing, the player should seek help from the Committee.

However, if that help is not available in a reasonable time, the player should use his or her reasonable judgment (Rule 1.3b(2)) to estimate the location of the teeing area.

Recognizing that such an estimation must be made promptly and cannot be precise, the player’s reasonable judgment of the location of the teeing area will be accepted even if later shown to be wrong (Rule 1.3b(2)).

Mantis Toboggan · 18-10-2021 2:23pm

I'd like a round playing off the red tees to see how low I could go. (probably no better than normal!!)

spacecoyote · 18-10-2021 3:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118036445#Comment_118036445

Good video on No Laying Up where one of the guys played off the reds, with a pro caddie to see if he could shoot under par. He did it comfortably. Pretty sure hes around a 5 handicap though

blue note · 18-10-2021 3:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118036445#Comment_118036445

I remember wondering that before. The biggest advantage of playing the ladies course would be that three of the par 4s become par 5s on the course I was thinking of. One of them isn't even a terribly long par 4. I think the par 5s would become par 4s too.

That said, I'd end up with even more of those half shots which I'm terrible at. So I don't know how many shots I'd actually save.

Mantis Toboggan · 27-10-2021 5:02pm

Just watching the night golf from Dubai,looks class, Wonder would there be a market for it here?

Luckycharm · 27-10-2021 5:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118081107#Comment_118081107

Conditions are slightly nicer in Dubai for night golf at this time of year than over here.

spacecoyote · 27-10-2021 7:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118081107#Comment_118081107

I think Grange Castle possibly trialled it a couple of years ago with spotlights around the course (may be mixing up the course here)

callaway92 · 03-11-2021 9:46am

Pretty bad form by my local club this weekend (first weekend of golf with clocks gone back)

Weekend time slots are generally at a premium too so it’s pure greed.

— —

Saturday from 11:00 to 12:30 blocked off for a society

Sunday tee times from 11:00 to 12:50 blocked off for a society

blue note · 03-11-2021 1:04pm

That's very annoying alright. After we opened up our place sent a mail to say that to give back to members they were making Sunday's exclusive to members. And that they'd also be setting aside time on Saturday for visitors. When I saw the timesheet I don't think members were initially able to book between 9:30 and 2 on a Saturday!

The way it actually worked out, the green fees haven't filled those slots, so members can get on relatively easily. I thought it was poor form from the guys running the club, but I remembered around the same time seeing the breakdown of times used by members / visitors and revenue from members / visitors. Basically, since the big influx of members and additional free time for existing ones, we were leaving far fewer spots on the timesheet for visitors. So visitor revenue dropped dramatically, and member revenue didn't rise by anything like that drop. The result being that the books didn't balance. That has to be addressed and the fair thing would probably be to raise membership fees, but at the same time members wanted to be compensated for loss of play during the year.

So while I was taken aback by what they did, I don't know what I would have done if I was running the place.

I don't know what the story is in your club, but they might simply need the money from the societies to keep the grass cut over the winter. You call it greed and maybe it is. Or maybe it isn't.

Ivefoundgod · 11-11-2021 4:26pm

Not really worthy of its own thread but has anyone got any advice on electric trolleys? I'm looking at the Motocaddy M1, Powakaddy FX3 and CT6. CT6 is the most expensive but I'm basically paying for the size. M1 is smaller but not by much and has similar features, the FX3 is the most basic with not much extras at all. I can get the FX3 through my pro and have €150 or so of vouchers so would save some money there, the others I'd have to go online to get, just wondering if anyone has any of these models?

My main gripe with the FX3 is the size, would be very little room in the boot of my car with it and clubs on board, not even sure if the bag would fit in with it, looks massive even when folded in the shop.

dan_ep82 · 11-11-2021 6:14pm

I've the FX7 GPS.

The size can be a pain and I would get the CT6 if I had a choice. With the FX you can take the wheels off and its makes it much more managable but I would only do it for the duration of the trip from home to the course so the splines don't dry out.

Your pro should be able to get any of the trolleys if he can get one so worth asking. I've had GPS watches before and never took to them but I have to say the intergrated GPS is probably the best thing about the trolley and worth it if you can afford it.

Just on the extras, even the FX7 comes with no extras. You have to but all the accessories on top of the price like umbrella holder etc. They do deals some years like a free bag or 3 extra's but it wasn't on when I got mine for the first year in a long time apparently so maybe they done away with it.

Ivefoundgod · 11-11-2021 7:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118152126#Comment_118152126

Thanks for the reply. Should have clarified by 'extras' I actually meant 'features'. Basically the FX3 does nothing other than go and stop, most of the others have stuff like ADF/DHC/EBS or some variation of them although a lot of them sound utterly useless (round timer :/). Not too bothered about the accessories/extras aside from the umbrella holder at some point, the rest I can do without.

Yeah my pro just said he won't be able to get the CT6 without the GPS this side of Christmas, not that he can't get it all. Thats also backed up by looking at Mcguirks etc. Only place with the CT6 18 hole in stock is halfpenny at the moment. Its an extra €100 for the CT6 compared to what the FX3 would cost me so I think I'll go that way. Will hang on until Black Friday in hopes of a discount or better stock selection, not mad about ordering from Halpenny, find them very slow to deliver stuff. With regard the GPS I just know I wouldn't really get the benefit from it. I use Arccos with my Apple Watch for GPS and like to get as exact a number as I can so walking 5/6 yards away from trolley to hit shot, or more on an errant one doesn't appeal to me. The extra cost just seems way too much to make it worth it.

blue note · 15-12-2021 1:10pm

Blind shots - yay or nay? Personally, I'd prefer not to encounter any in 18 holes. I don't mind luck playing a role in a round, but there's just too much with blind shots. When they work out well, obviously you don't mind too much. But even when you stick it to a pin, it's not as satisfying as sticking it to a pin you aimed for! And as for the shots where you execute the shot you were trying to, but it ends up being a bad shot, well they're just infuriating.

Playing on new courses with blind shots is a whole other level of annoying. You've no idea what to play so take out the driver. It's as likely to be the right club as anything else. And then you get over the hill and find that there's a lake or a dogleg that you didn't know about. That can really affect my enjoyment of the round.

youcancallmeal · 15-12-2021 1:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118324837#Comment_118324837

This is how I felt when I played Corballis. It was mostly enjoyable but a lot of shots felt like pure hit and hope. I haven't been back but I think it would be more enjoyable when I do

blue note · 15-12-2021 1:36pm

The blind shots worked out for me the first time I played it, but I can completely understand someone coming off the course pissed off! At least they're blind fairways as opposed to greens, so when you get used to it you'll know where to aim, but the first time you play you can easily end up taking too much club by 100 metres.

I remember being particularly lucky on 11 - I duffed a 3w on the tee when going for the barbers pole. If I had connected that ball was long gone. But instead I ended up beside the 100m fairway marker!

But even when you're familiar with the course, you can still end up losing balls that you didn't think were in trouble. That's annoying!

Ivefoundgod · 15-12-2021 2:20pm

No issue with blind shots but I think what you're describing is just poor course design rather than anything else. I haven't played a huge amount of course with blind shots outside my home one which has maybe 2 blind approach shots typically. Links courses which have them are usually ok with me too once sensibly done. I've never felt a blind shot affected my stroke in those cases, if I ended up in a bad spot it wasn't because the shot was blind it was because the shot was badly hit or poorly aimed.

Can see why you'd be annoyed if you don't know a course but I'd always have the GPS open on a new course and work out how far hazards are etc. so never happened where I was surprised by what was ahead of me. Can sometimes be surprised at what it looks like compared to the app though.

Haven't played Corballis but that does sound very frustrating.

blue note · 15-12-2021 3:15pm

Corballis is fine after you've played it a couple of times. But it must be a nightmare for a first timer on their own.

higster · 15-12-2021 3:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118152644#Comment_118152644

I have the motocaddy m5 gps. And the arccos.

I love the visual on the trolley gps vs arccos phone or watch. Quick look while taking out clubs and new update showing the hole layout pretty damn good. Use the arccos solely for (my poor) stats (which is excellent software) and trolley for distance.

Random Golf Thoughts

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