It's Raining, Again...

It's raining today but I'm all smiles. I managed to play Beacon Lakes in between storms last night. I played from the tips again (72.8/126) and carded another 86 (44/42). I lost three balls on the front nine and played the same ball on the more trecherous back nine. Here's some stats:


Fairways hit... 6
GIRs........... 4
Birdies........ 2
Pars........... 5
Putts......... 28 (one 3-putt)
Bogeys......... 6
Doubles........ 5
Triples........ 0
Balls lost .... 3 (3 water)


Both birdies were 20 feet or so and while I chunked a few chips, the majority of the chips left makable putts. The end result is that my handicap is at a new all time low of 15.39!!

So here's some advice to any golfers out there who's handicap has flatlined:

Play the next set of tees. If you don't have the length to play the next set back, play the next set foreward. Do something to provide a new challenge.

Sa-weet!!
-Greg

Enough with the Rain Already...

We have had 39 rainy days since June 1st. The last four of five rounds I've played ended with a rain check. Today is nice and sunny with a 20% chance of rain... And I'm in the office. I might sneak out tomorrow (20% rain chance forecast) to use a rain check.

Plan Panning Out...

I went down to Beacon Lakes to put my "Play from the Tips" plan into action. The course was crowded and I got paired up with three seniors who were playing from the white tees. I like to walk and they were in carts and I decided to play from the whites (68.6/119 and 5756 yards) as well. After a snowman on the first hole, I managed a 42 on the front nine. I hit the 445 yard par 5 in two, then drove the green on the next hole, the 299 yard 6th. Missed both eagle putts, but that was two eagle putts in a row!! Then I fall apart losing 5 balls (two on one hole) and finish with an 89.

Yesterday I finally get to play the tips (again at Beacon Lakes) 72.8/126 and 6777 yards. I was really all over the place but two bad shots can be overcome with a single good shot and I come out with an 86 (43/43) after losing three balls. The highlight of this round was a 4 iron to 10 feet on the 220 yard par three 7th where I got the birdie. I didn't feel like I was playing that well, but it was my second best round by differential of 11.84 (best is 11.32). My handicap went from 16.9 to 16.09 for my new record low.

Blogging from the tips,
-Greg

Yeah, I'm still here...

I'd like to post my second year review, but there's not that much to write about. I suppose it could be summed up by saying I've become an average golfer in just two years. I generally shoot in the low 90s upper 80s and occaisionally have good days (low 80s), and bad days (100+). I feel like I'm a 12 handicap, but my stats tell me I'm a 17.

I'm going to start playing from the tips on several courses. I feel 6800+ yards is where I belong and the couple times I've played them I've scored 88 and 91 and had the same number of penalty strokes as I normally do.

Does a 17 handicapper have any business playing from the tips? I've heard both answers and for me, I feel it's the best way to drive my handicap down.

The main reason I'm posting today is because I played today and had a bit of an epiphany...

Most of us consider the long par four a difficult hole, a tough par, a take bogey and be happy hole right? Then we turn right around and call the short par five an easy hole, an easy par, a good chance at birdie. Can you see what I'm geting at here? The short par five is always longer than the long par four and we have a mindset that we have a good chance at birdie. Doesn't that mean that we should look at the long par four as perhaps a tough birdie hole, a good chance at par, or at worst, a bogey?

Dad will be down the second week of August, I think the 7th. I'm working STS-118 which launches August 7th. Houston, we have a problem...

-Greg