Things went better yesterday, even though my score didn't reflect it. Shot a 95 on a pretty difficult course. Ball striking was much better all around, my Achilles heel was hitting greens. If I was a bit more accurate with my irons my score would have been better. Beautiful day for golf here at the Jersey shore. Gonna be better tomorrow. Hit em straight fellas.
The official AK golf thread
- Thread starter cubdog
- Start date
Well I have really been playing like crap this year. With nothing worth talking about I haven’t bothered posting here. Been making some progress of late, hitting more fairways but still not scoring too well. Started focusing on slowing down the swing, willing to sacrifice distance for the short grass. Also made the realization I just don’t hit it as far as I used to. So dialed back the expectations and ego and started hitting more club than i used to. What do you know, good things happen in the short grass! Today I was missing greens but in the rough versus the trees. Had the short game working and rolled the ball the best all year. 9 one putt greens and no three putts for a smooth 27 putts. First time breaking 90 this year with an 86. now mind you this is from the senior tees but I gave up being proud long ago in this game.
I played well my last 2 rounds. I have an outing on Friday. The wheels can come off for unknown reasons at any time.
That's golf.
Dswankey
Lunatic Member
When I used to play this was my obsessed thought process, somehow I finally broke free of the self torment, I miss being out on a nice course though
Speaking of humbling wait til the carnage that will unfold starting next Thursday, that course is a MONSTER!!!
55Redneck
Canadian Redneck
Played yesterday, the round started out good until we got to hole 7. Two groups waiting to tee off when we got there and the rest of the day was about like that. Our foursome can usually play 18 holes in about 3 1/2 hours, yesterday it was 4 1/2. It was effing painful and my round showed it. 45 on the front and 52 on the back. 
I was having a good start to maybe having a good round but that all went to crap by waiting to hit on every shot.
I was having a good start to maybe having a good round but that all went to crap by waiting to hit on every shot.US Open thoughts. I am all for professionals playing a challenging course. Watching players finish -30 isn't what I want to see. However this years open at Oakmont is over the top. I watched yesterday and the course is simply unplayable. They cannot get out of the rough and they can't putt. The commentators spent the majority of their time talking about the course, not the play or players. I also think this is not a pretty course. There's nothing particularly pleasing to the eye about it. They built a course that's even too difficult for the best players in the world. If that's what their goal was, they succeeded.
Played yesterday, the round started out good until we got to hole 7. Two groups waiting to tee off when we got there and the rest of the day was about like that. Our foursome can usually play 18 holes in about 3 1/2 hours, yesterday it was 4 1/2. It was effing painful and my round showed it. 45 on the front and 52 on the back.
Last Friday I played an outing that I help sponsor. Same thing happened to me. My prior 2 rounds were a 90 and 88 so I was playing well for me going in. First tee was fine then it slowed down to a snail's pace. Waiting 10 minutes minimum between every shot. My rhythm went away, my back tightened up and my round went to sh!t. Slow play kills my game every time.
A challenging course is great. It makes players bring out their best, makes them think harder.
Give them something difficult where they have to do better, try harder. It will show where they lack and need to focus their attention to make them a better player.
I'd rather watch this than every other course where they don't have to think much or try real hard.
Make them work a little harder for the multiple millions they're paid.
What I didn't watch was 10 of the top 20 golfers in the world not play because they missed the cut. Then I watched a war of attrition. 5 golfers out of 50 survived. the other 45 were completely off their game and frustrated. Spaun had a great putt to win but he won because everyone at the top of the leaderboard fell apart. Again, I'm all for creating challenging courses but the USGA screwed this one up.
Dswankey
Lunatic Member
Don't forget the testicular fortitude to hit that drive on 17 to position himself for a birdie that he sank
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The US Open traditionally sets up difficult courses since they want the top five players to be around par after 72 holes. Mission accomplished this year. A tough course like Oakmont requires quality shots, i.e., fairways and greens in regulation and precise putting.
Yes, this year was difficult, but if you look at scores from previous Opens, there are quite a few with above par finishes.
I agree. That was the only shot I saw where any golfer let it rip and took a chance. They all hit 3 woods trying to keep everything in the fairway because they knew if they hit it in the rough it was a bogey at best.
Again, Im fine with tough courses. I'm not with unplayable courses which I thought Oakmont was. I also thought it was a pretty boring, ugly course.
I don't think the Memorial, Bethpage Black, Saw Grass, Pebble Beach and others are run of the mill by any means. Challenging but still able to be entertaining.
Here is hoping the USGA does not screw up the set up for next year at Shinnecock Hills. The last 2 times the Open was held there the USGA butchered the course, making putts from above the hole an adventure. Remember when they had to hose down the green on the par 3 because it got away from them? Courses like Shinnecock can host an Open with 2 weeks notice, just enough time to grow in the fairways and speed up the greens, which are pretty slick to begin with. I plan on going next year and want to see a traditional U.S. Open, where even par to -4 is the winning score. While the Open at Oakmont was exciting, it was more of a car crash/demolition derby. Kudos to JJ, making back to back birdies on 17 & 18. He came back from the dead.