Who Here Plays Golf?

[JackD201]

I grew up in a Golf family. Heck my first car was a VW Golf. LOL. I was wondering if anybody else here plays. My lowest handicap was 8. I'm now a 12 and having a bit of a tough time playing that. While the shortgame has improved with age, so far it hasn't made up for the distance lost. I've got two Aces under my belt. To illustrate my aging , my first one was a 190yd 5 iron with a crosswind in 1996. The second in 2006 was a 165yd 6iron with helping wind. LOL! I play on the team of our Golf Club (ranked No.1 course in the country by Golf Digest in 2012 so look me up if you're here) as a Class B player. The team is made up of 6 Class As, 2 Bs and 2 Seniors. We are defending champions of the Federation of Golf Clubs League and hopefully will get a threepeat this summer. Last tournament I won was last years local leg of the Mercedes Benz Trophy. I crashed and burned in Australia and finished somewhere in the middle of the pack. While the game doesn't seem to love me as much as I love it, I'm thoroughly addicted. My dream is to be playing well into old age.

So, who else plays?

 

[jap]

I play and have lived on a golf course for the last 24 years, but as my wife says never again.

Golf is like raising kids, you keep hoping that you'll get better at it.

 

[rhbblb1]

I live in Augusta, GA and yes I have played it twice.

 

[Peter Breuninger]

I play customer golf (the customer always has the best shot). Years ago, my boss, the son of the founder of the Franklin Templeton Group asked "Peter, you do golf, don't you?" When I said I play a "mean" serve and volley game he said, you will play golf too... expense the clubs and six months of lessons. So six months later I'm teeing up at Pebble Beach!!! I did ok until the back nine, they ate me alive. That was in 92 and every now and then I play. Several years ago I played a Ronald McDonald House benefit torny in Reno and fell in love with the Montreux club. Just over the Mt. is Incline Village and Lake Tahoe, man-o-man is that beautiful country.

 

[Dimfer]

I used to play a lot of golf, but never really progressed in the game, peaked at 15 handicap and my excuse is the arthritis in my spine (DISH) which makes it difficult for me to turn my upper body. I love the game, but the back nine is always a struggle because of the pain. I am the biggest guy in our group, but the shortest hitter , so I swallowed my pride a long time ago. Some of my golf buddies progressed to 2 or 3 handicappers, they get upset when they don't break 80, I am very happy to break 90. We have a very short season here in Edmonton, but we play between 100 - 140 rounds per year. I quit golf in 2007, after my best buddy and golf partner died of cancer. Played only one round last season and happy to break 100.

Memorable moment for - one day, I showed up late for our tee time, I ended up playing with a group of 12 year old boys. Darn, these kids were all hitting long and straight, and they have to wait around for me all the time because they were mostly fairway green. I had to quit after the ninth hole

 

[ack]

Am I allowed to make fun of the sport? Can I post a video?

 

[Mike]

Am I allowed to make fun of the sport? Can I post a video?

Robin Williams clip, right?

 

[ack]

Yeap

 

[Steve Williams]

I remember that one as well from his stand up act about Scotsmen

 

[Mike]

Yeap

Go on...you know you want to.

 

[Mike]

Coming from Scotland, which is the birthplace of the modern game of golf and home to some of its best courses, such as St. Andrews, I can say that I don't play. I can offer a word of advice to all golfers: Always bring an extra pair of trousers when you play.

 

[Steve Williams]

well if it's the one I saw it is filled with expletives so rather than embedding it here perhaps just link to it

 

[treitz3]

Oh, yeah. I play golf but it's not the kind of golf you guys are talking about. I play Frisbee Disc golf. I had tried playing golf once as a teenager and all I could do is slice the ball rather consistently. That was, if I even hit the ball to begin with. I'll be honest, I don't know which game would be harder [between golf and Frisbee Disc golf]. Both games take an incredible amount of skill. I'll never forget my first Eagle. 257' and around to the right of trees on hole 1 at Reedy Creek. Got so daggum excited about it, I botched the rest of the game and finished something like 8 over. DOH! Been playing for about 15 years now and to date, I have only 3 eagles to my credit.

I sure would like to throw like Juliana Korner. She can throw about 150' beyond my capabilities and I have no idea how in the world she does it. I have asked her for some advice/techniques and she was more than willing to offer some suggestions but I still can't do what she does and I have studied her throw to the nth degree. It's pretty bad when you get spanked by a girl and spanked pretty bad at that. My hat sure is off to her, though.

If you have never tried the "other" golf, try it. I have a blast playing.

Tom

 

[Steve Williams]

Never heard of Frisbee Disk golf

 

[rockitman]

I play...My highlight Golf Courses I have played:

Pebble Beach
Poppy Hills
Spy Glass
Spanish Bay
Pinehurst, all courses including No. 2

 

[GaryProtein]

well if it's the one I saw it is filled with expletives so rather than embedding it here perhaps just link to it

I never knew about that video. I did a search for it. It's hilarious.

Warning to those with virgin ears. Lots of expletives. Wear ear plugs.

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcnFbCCgTo4

 

[Steve Williams]

You found it Gary. I actually saw that show on cable TV when it first aired.

 

[treitz3]

Never heard of Frisbee Disk golf

Not many folks have. It's gaining in popularity but it's still unknown to many. I'm lucky enough to live close to the U.S Disc Golf Championship course and I have probably 20 or so courses [beginner, advanced and pro] within 30 miles of me. The PDGA World Championships were also held in Charlotte this past year just North of me and on many of the courses my friends and I play at. Some are easy, some are just incredibly hard to play. Unlike a ball that pretty much goes in a straight arc in the air to reach it's destination, a Frisbee can go straight like a laser for 300' and depending on which Frisbee you choose, it can make a hard left or right at the end of the flight. Then you can throw some of the discs to make an "S" pattern, bypassing any obstacles that are in the way. You can roll the Frisbee to achieve a greater distance, toss it upside down flicking it with one finger in a "S" pattern from up to 40' away to get in in the basket [my specialty shot]. Whatever it takes. Another shot I've gotten pretty good at is to throw the Frisbee at an angle very close to the ground and at a good pace. When it hits the ground, it will take an immediate turn, lift back up into the air and continue to fly gaining valuable ground toward your destination. One of my eagles was gained by this type of throw on a 175' "C" shaped hole.

We have played in the ice, snow, 105 degree weather and everything in between. Some holes "look" easy but can prove to be incredibly hard. I learned that the hard way on this one hole I'll tell you about. Just imagine the basket 150' away. It's a straight shot and perfectly level. Sounds easy enough, right? Thing is, the path is only 4' wide. Leave the path and hit a tree, your score can be shot because now you are 20' off the path in thick woods. Choosing the right Frisbee and the right throwing technique proves just as challenging as with choosing a driver in regular golf and being able to predict where the ball will roll after flight. Add the wind in as a factor and things can get real interesting.

You might think that Frisbee Disc golf wouldn't be challenging or as challenging as real golf but it is. At times, very difficult. Some holes are fairly open, others are knee deep in the woods. Some holes require you to force accuracy and in adding sometimes severe elevation changes, it can prove to be quite challenging. There are blind holes, ravines, creeks and other water hazards, out-of-bounds, trees, lots of hiking and on some courses, seemingly diabolical pin placements. Alright, I've gone off on a tangent here. I'll stop. But first here's a pic of what "our" hole looks like.

Tom

 

[ack]

well if it's the one I saw it is filled with expletives so rather than embedding it here perhaps just link to it

OK here it goes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcnFbCCgTo4

Could people be quieter? I'd like to hear the grass grow - love that line

 

[Steve Williams]

A day late and a dollar short Peter as Gary posted it

I never knew about that video. I did a search for it. It's hilarious.

Warning to those with virgin ears. Lots of expletives. Wear ear plugs.

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcnFbCCgTo4