×

Top Links:

Get A Golf Handicap

UK Golf Guide

Golfshake Top 100s

Find Golf Travel Deals

Golf Competitions

Search

Community Forum

Course:

Tee Times | Search | Reviews

News:

Gear | Tour | Industry Insider

Tuition:

Video Library | Tuition Sections

Community:

Join | Log In | Help | Useful Links

×
New Forum System - click here to visit our new & improved forum system >>>

Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..

Posted by: user48641 | Sat 3rd Jan 2009 20:02 | Last Reply

Hi Everyone and HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

Well, Not having played for about 2 months I finally decided that today would be the perfect day to start back golfing !! Obviously not playing for 2 months I completely forgot everything I learnt in the last 12 months. Today the game seemed really hard and frustrating !! Stepping onto the first 'frosty' winter tee I sliced my drive onto the 9th - and well lets just say it was all down hill from there. I went from the thinking golfer of 2008 to the hacker golfer of 2007 that I was !! Dont want to make excuses but the greens were very bad which resulted to quite a bit of 3 putting from silly distances.  However I still tried to hit all the greens not taking into account the conditions and therefore watching the ball fly off the back of every green, which then led to fustration which then further led to me thinking I was King Tiger on every tee again which led to more problems!! Instead of me thinking hold on lets pitch it short and run on, etc.

Oh well lesson learnt with a Gross 90 score (net 76) I fully accept that Winter golf is difficult and therfore should expect higher scores but the point I wanna make is dont forget the elements guys and adjust your game accordingly, dont let the dark side take over lol, dont fall into stupid mode like I did.

Oh well Im hoping 2009 will see me get down to maybe 11, yeah asking a bit too much but what the heck, bring it!!! lol

 


Last edit : Sat 3rd Jan 2009 20:24
re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user52922
Reply : Sat 3rd Jan 2009 20:25

You will do it this year Alps, I am quite sure of it.

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user26342
Reply : Sat 3rd Jan 2009 21:02

Alps,

I played on Friday morning & the greens were like concrete & whilst my 3 playing partners were struggling I somehow managed to shoot a 12 over par gross? I managed to hole a 30 footer for birdie which took that many bobbles it was amazing, chipped in & managed to hit almost every fairway. The only thing I did different to the others was that I took a few irons off the tee to make sure of position & like you said I played short of the green knowing I'd get a bit of roll.

John.

 

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user20126 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Sat 3rd Jan 2009 22:47

I played today and had exactly the same problems.

New Years Day saw my first drive of the new year and you guessed it!  A big slice off the tee and OOBs!

Today the greens were rock hard and if you dropped the ball short of the green it bounced off at any angle, and if you hit the green it just shot through the back!

When the greens are frozen it's probably better to just enjoy the round and don't worry to much about the scores, wait for better conditions.

I enjoy my golf, even when I'm playing badly, I'd rather be playing golf badly than sat at home not playing golf.

Russ

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user81455
Reply : Sat 3rd Jan 2009 23:31

I try and play frozen courses as if they were links.  Lots fo low bump and run shots near the greens.  You still get quirky bounces but they are not so pronounced as if you hit lovely high shots into the green.  I 've also found that frozen greens do not borrow as much as usual when putting.  Don't know if this is due to the ball sliding rather than rolling.

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user129155
Reply : Mon 5th Jan 2009 10:23

My course plays temps when the greens are frozen, so its a fair bit shorter than normal.

Played my first game in the winter league yesterday 3/4 HC matchplay against a 10 H/C who'd played for 45 years.

I started ok, with 4 over in the first 6 holes but was still 4 down as his short game was great, I then started to play inspired golf and closed it to 1dn, we get to the 17th and i had 1 shot on the last 2 holes and what did I do? sliced my drive for the first time all day, right infront of the trees! ended up winning the 18th too so lost 1dn!

Enjoyed it though, played some of the best golf i've ever played (putting from 30yds on the frozen fairway helps) and ended up with a gross 83!

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user52922
Reply : Mon 5th Jan 2009 10:36

That must have been one hell of a game for the pair of you Stephen. With you shooting a gross 83 receiving 11 shots tells me that to win the 10 handicapper had to shoot a gross 71 to beat you. It would appear that both your handicaps are wrong,

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user129155
Reply : Mon 5th Jan 2009 12:02

I only got 8 shots (club hc is 20)

Was by far and away the best i have ever done, His game brought the best fom me.

The temp greens helped alot, shortened each hole by 20yds or more so not as crazy as may seem.

Dunno if you have ever heard of jonathon lupton, spent 1/2 on my short game with him on saturday - has helped me alot!

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user52922
Reply : Mon 5th Jan 2009 12:14

So the 10 handicapper had to go round in 74 to beat you.

No, Stephen I have not heard of Jonathon Lupton, perhaps you could be kind enough to let the forum know his record in this wonderful game.

Unless your club has the finest temporary greens in the country I fail to see how they would benefit you. the 20 yards is irrelevant in my opinion.

You appear to be playing a game with which I am unfamiliar with your three hundred yard drives and excellent chipping and putting skills on rock solid ice bound ground.

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user129155
Reply : Mon 5th Jan 2009 12:32

this is his profile;

Close House Golf Club is pleased to announce the arrival of one of the top golf coaches in the north east and one of Britain’s top professional players to its staff. Jonathan will become a full time member of the golf staff and will be starting work on the 1st of January 2009 and got off to a good start with his new employers by winning the 2008 Pro-am and shooting a new course record in the process of 67.

Biography;

Jonathan Lupton (born February 1979) started playing golf at the age of seven, over this time Jonathan has been lucky enough to play and compete against a number of the worlds top players as well as being coached himself by some of the best coaches in the world. Jonathan has played alongside and against Sergio Garcia, Darren Clarke, Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Justin Rose, Ross Fisher & Oliver Wilson. Jonathan has also been coached by Peter Cowan (European Tour Coach), Keith Williams (EGU National Coach), David Ridley (EGU National Coach), Graeme Walker (EGU National Coach) and Harold Swash (Putting Guru). After working with the fore mentioned coaches and the PGA Jonathan has developed his own methods and theory to coaching. Jonathans coaching and experience will be as much suited to a Tour Professional as to a complete beginner and will be happy to coach players of all abilities. Jonathan will still be continuing to play competitive golf at both a national and international level alongside his coaching commitments at Close House to keep up to date with Jonathans latest achievements please keep checking back.

• 1996 • Winner of the Northern Boys Golf Championship • Represented England Boys Golf

• 1997 • Represented England Boys Golf in the England World Boys Golf Team • Represented Engalnd Boys Golf in the European Boys Golf Team

• 1998 • Winner of the Yorkshire County Team Championship

• 1999 • Semi-Finalist in the English Amateur Golf Championship • Member of the England Elite Golf Squad

• 2000 • Winner of the North of England Youths Golf Championship • Member of the England Elite Golf Squad

• 2001 • Winner of the Hampshire Hog Golf Championship • Winner of the Welsh Amateur Strokeplay Golf Championship • Member of the England Elite Golf Squad • Represented England in the Golf Home Internationals

• 2002 • Winner of the Scutton Jug Golf Championship • Member of the England Elite Golf Squad • Represented England in the Golf Home Internationals • Represented England in the England versus France Golf Team Match • Represented Great Britain and Ireland in the St Andrews Trophy Golf Team

• 2003 • Winner of the English Amateur Strokeplay Championship (the Brabazon Trophy) • Member of the England Elite Golf Squad • Represented England in the England versus Spain Golf Team Match • Represented England in the England European Men’s Golf Team • Turned Golf Professional

• 2004-2006 • Retained his tour card on the PGA Europro Tour and the European Challenge Tour

• 2007 • Winner of the North East/North West PGA Assistants Golf Championship • Winner of the PGA Powerade Assistants Golf Championship • Winner of the North East/North West PGA Assistants Golf Player of the Year Trophy

• 2008 • Competed in the European Tours 2008 BMW PGA Championships at Wentworth

 

 

The greens are at least 20 yds closer, some alot more, and are mostly flat, par 3's are all within PW distance and 5's under 400yds.

The pro there reckons on temps you should generally score 9 better than on full length, so that equates to 2 over my handicap.

I have started swinging within myself now also as i always tried to hit it too hard, and hit more consistant drives with less distance with my new driver.

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user52922
Reply : Mon 5th Jan 2009 12:44

Thank you Stephen, obviously a young man with plenty of talent. I am pleased that he was a very good amateur before he became a professional, but I notice that either he has not been able to retain his tour card since 2006, or has lost the desire of the cut and thrust as well as the traveling of the tour, which is very sad.

A life as a teaching pro will never make up for that. Nevertheless you have a fine young man to teach you and I hope you take every opportunity to do just that.

A hole of 400 yards cannot be a par five. Your course must be the only one that makes the game easier when on temps, I have always found them more difficult, because usually they are very small and completely unputtable on.

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user129155
Reply : Mon 5th Jan 2009 13:07

That was put up there mid 2008 so dont know what he did since then tbh, He told me he is still playing professionally and intends to continue to do so, he certainly helped me alot with chipping, I was doing it completely wrong.

 

The temp greens shorten the course alot John, every par 4 is now reachable in 2, some in 1.

also with it being match play, i could win the hole with a 3 and he might hit a 7 so not necessarily a 74...

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user129155
Reply : Mon 5th Jan 2009 13:19

That was put up there mid 2008 so dont know what he did since then tbh, He told me he is still playing professionally and intends to continue to do so, he certainly helped me alot with chipping, I was doing it completely wrong.

 

The temp greens shorten the course alot John, every par 4 is now reachable in 2, some in 1.

also with it being match play, i could win the hole with a 3 and he might hit a 7 so not necessarily a 74...

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user52922
Reply : Mon 5th Jan 2009 13:52

He would have picked up once he had taken four.

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user129155
Reply : Mon 5th Jan 2009 14:29

yeah, so means the score of 1 up bears no meaning on his stroke score.

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user52922
Reply : Mon 5th Jan 2009 14:33

Unless you post up the scores for both of you, no one can exactly say anything about the match. just that my figures were far more probable than you trying to wriggle out of playing a great round yet attempting to demean his. For the purposes of matchplay then once the hole is lost then 1 stroke is sufficient.

re: Dont start 2009 with the same mistakes as me..
user129155
Reply : Mon 5th Jan 2009 15:39

I have nothing but praise for his round!

I just dont think that the score is relative to his stroke play score, at least not directly.

He putted a gimme for 7 after a good pitch approach on a par 4 and then I holed a 12 footer for a 4.

anyway, it doesnt matter - we're rambling about F-All


The Forums have now moved to a new version

We have now moved the forum to a new and improved system which provides more functionality plus provides easier access from desktop, tablets and smart phone devices.

Click here to view the new forum & register for free.

Scroll to top