Random Golf Thoughts

3 Person ‘Better Ball’

Is that everyone plays their own ball the whole way and best score counts?

I’m assuming these would be ‘non counting’ for WHS?

Thanks!

It doesn’t always sync with the club terminal, when scores are entered at the clubhouse computer they don’t always appear on the GI site.

The opening page is set to Golfers, not scores, with no apparent way to change this.

I do the same but indoors off a mat, so can do it all year long. The mat has three different astro grass surfaces, spongy which catches the club if not clean strike, short like links, and grassy. Once you have reasonable technique there's no way you won't improve.

My 15 year old daughter is a member in my club but hasn’t yet gotten her first cards for handicap. Going into transition year and has expressed an interest in getting and improving handicap this summer/next year. Any one any tips on how to get her into it the right way? Focus on short game practice first, putting etc. ?. games to make it fun. I know lessons will be good but she’s keen to just get out with me first for a bit.

Want to try and approach this the right way so she enjoys it and has a better chance of sticking with it.

EDIT: Sorry misread your post. I'll leave the original below but replying properly in the next paragraph.

Yes managers will have old favourites or reliables. It's no different than GAA or other sports. Sometimes your face doesn't suit and you get dropped when it makes no sense. Little you can do but continue to show up, play well and win your practice matches.

I'd straight just ask the manager what do I need to do in order to get picked. The response could be a decent pointer to work on your chipping or putting or driver for arguments sake.

.........

Not a manager but I've been on a few teams and helped out in the background also. The main takeaway is don't wait to be picked. Contact the managers or coordinator to say you're available for consideration.

Sometimes with managers it's a case of set group of favourites. You're in the group or you're not.

Other times the manager just looks at a list of players in the handicap range. Then picks who they know have experience and starts phoning the rest of the potentials, stopping when they hit the number for the panel. Most people won't actually commit. Holidays, family, other sports, work etc all rule out a lot of people.

Then you have managers who are super thorough. They look at results over the last year and recently. Handicap trends over time. What juniors are going to drop quickly and will be at a nice number based on last year's index. They consider matchplay results, player personality and chemistry. Etc etc.

A majority of managers fall into the first two columns IME. Irrespective of this you should stick your neck out and message the team managers/coordinator.

Very often teams run out of players around 2nd or 3rd round. Simply due to communions, confirmation, holidays and other commitments. My partner in foursomes dropped out the same week as our match. The last fella in our squad thankfully had the right handicap and could step in otherwise we were goosed.

Lots of clubs don't have big numbers to pick from so you tend to see the same faces over the years.

I've always thought that a lot of interclub teams are very clique-y. Same bunch of lads that know the manager well and the team picks itself, irrespective of form.

I got tired of it after a few years when, like the OP, I was being overlooked when playing well. I suspect that lots of them are involved so they can play other courses for nothing with their mates.

I don't miss the politics, but I do miss the competitive side of it. I was a member of a team that got to a final. We won our match but team lost 3-2. It was a great run and have good memories of it. But I don't have any desire to get involved again.

I haven't managed teams but my club tries to be very open about it. Google survey sent to all members in the off season asking what teams they would like to be considered for. Panels are then assembled based on that and meetings in the club with managers and the overall interclub director of what they are looking for in their team that year and how it will change based on who the opponents are.
One of the panels I have been involved with they will try to find good pairings for young lads that will be low by the time the game is played and handicap pairings are the main driver. I was called by a manager of a team I had not put my name forward for last year and asked to play a practice with one of the young lads as my hcap was a better fit for him than others on the panel.
Others will pick purely based on hcap. Another panel I was on needed a combined 25 minimum, there were very few 13/14/15 hcaps signed up and the manager found it hard to field a team. Other events in the same hcap range were happening on the same day so there may have been a case where somebody was picked when they were not the form player but their hcap was needed to make a combined team.
There are definitely some teams/clubs that are a bit cliquey based on comments from friends of mine in other clubs but they will rarely go far in any tournament with that attitude.

They are my favourite part of the golfing year and I will go up and watch the matches if I am not selected and have a bit of free time. Being involved in them has massively increased the value I get from membership of a club as there is a camaraderie involved and you get to meet new people too. I get being frustrated about missing out but if I were you I would definitely keep putting my name forward

This is probably a post for the links thread! I'm on last day of our lads golf trip. Played Co. Sligo (Rosses Point) on Saturday. The place is fantastic. Manicured to perfection. Amazing views everywhere you look. I'll be back, if I can afford it!

Then yesterday, played Carne Hackett course in Belmullet. Played here before. Again, a stupendously good golf course. A little rough around the edges in parts, but my God, what a course.

Playing the alternative 18 today. I'm hearing the other 9 is just as spectacular. Looking forward to it.

The most spectacular place I've ever played. The moment when you walk up from the par 3 3rd Hole to the tee box on the par 5 4th for the first time is breathtaking! And there are so many more such moments during the rest of the round.