I will be leaving in about an hour to complete a carpet job on the outside deck of Oakford golf club. I will have an excellent view of the 9th hole, a par 3 two hundred yarder. This type of thing does wonders for my attitude as it becomes clear to me that even though I struggle just to keep it under a hundred strokes a round I am still better than the vast majority of golfers.
I watched about five groups come through yesterday and not one person hit the green. No one, and I mean absolutely no one used enough club. Don't these people carry fairway woods?
Most (especially the men) teed off with irons and left themselves out around the white marker. Of course then they would some how find enough club in the bag to fly the green muff a chip and then three putt. Its a lot of fun to watch and is something I need to key on when I find myself becoming frustrated on the course. I may be a long way from being a good golfer but at least I have a clue.
I will keep an eye on them again today a let you know what the most ridiculous moment of the day is.
Last edited by Murph : November 19th, 2004 at 09:03 AM.
Sometimes I don't think its as much ego as failing to look at yardage markers. Deceived by how long it looks rather than glancing down at the score card and seeing that this hole is two hundred from tee to green.
Reminds me of my private pilot lessons and the instructors words, "I don't care what you think you see look at your instruments they don't lie". Same holds true with yardage markers.
Good point on the score card but the only problem with most score cards are that they will give you approx. distance from tee to green, reason being the pin is usually located at different places on the green at different times so a new score card would have to be made up for each pin change. What I do, is I have made myself a yardage book on the three courses that I play the most, this gives me a better idea of pin placement and etc. and were I need to lay-up or go for it. You can purchase yardage books at most courses but I have found that they are to general plus I save myself a few bucks. Also I think that most weekend golfers think that they can hit a iron as far or almost as far as some of the pros. just my thoughts.
most players look and think "I can hit my 4 iron 200 yds" (for argument's sake) when what they really mean is I once hammered my 4iron downwind and downhill 200 yds!
however, if I was standing on the tee playing a 200 yd par 3, I'd probably be laying up and playing for a bogey (which would be nett par for me). Either that, or I would have a wood in my hand.
Sometimes laying up on a long par 3 is the right play for me. If there's trouble behind and a middle-ish pin, I'm not about to risk flying off the back with a fairway wood. I'l rather leave myself a makeable up and down for par anyday.
Sometimes laying up on a long par 3 is the right play for me. If there's trouble behind and a middle-ish pin, I'm not about to risk flying off the back with a fairway wood. I'l rather leave myself a makeable up and down for par anyday.
Sounds like good course management to me. Judging from my experience, very few mid to high handicappers ever hit over the green on Par 3 holes. They may be long left or long right but they're rarely directly behind the green.
I use an iron on par 3s simply for the fact that I don't hit it as far off line as I hit my fairway woods. One par 3 at the course I normally play is 200 yards, slightly uphill, usually into the wind. A very good 3 iron can get me onto the green. A marginal one leaves me with an uphill chip and a chance to save par. No chance at going over. With the 5 wood I don't need quite the strike to get it there, but if I mishit it, it goes much further offline than the 3 iron. There's a steep bank to the left of the green which feeds down toward a pond, and I want no piece of going down there should I hook it. I can also hit it too well and be over the green with a terrible downhill chip and double bogey very likely.
On 200 yard par 3's, I rarely hit the green. I still try for it because I'll probably be left with a short chip if I miss. Then it's just a matter of getting up and down. I usually come into those holes expecting a bogey. If I get par, then all the better.
Intersting how people remember their best four iron and use that as their yardage.A pro once advised me to take an extra club for the first three holes. It makes you swing a little slower, never a bad thing, and if you end up putting from the back of the green , it's better than finding the front bunker.As your round progresses you club yourself to how you are hitting.
We have a 212 yd par three eighteenth, with water and OOB. Somedays you hit a long iron, somedays a fairway wood, depending on wind direction. You always check for sphincter control.
Well I didn't get to watch as many groups come through as I thought I would. Spent most of the day trying to keep people from walking through wet glue. These people would drive up in 40,000 dollar vehicles and then not have enough sense to walk around a puddle of glue. Makes me wonder how they got all that money in the first place.
If I was not one myself I would have had to assume all golfers were idiots.
From what I did see though I would have to estimate that only 10% of people who own golf clubs know anything about how to use them. Maybe someday I will be able to include myself in that ten percent.
Oh... and by the way, I would have went for it with a five wood and probably still would have come up short. I think I need to go buy a 3 wood.
From what I did see though I would have to estimate that only 10% of people who own golf clubs know anything about how to use them. Maybe someday I will be able to include myself in that ten percent.
I work at the course mowing, raking, etc. during the summer so I get to spend a lot of time observing golfers as they pass through the area I'm working in. It's interesting watching them all and how they play a given hole/shot. After a while you pretty much figure out who the best golfers who play there are and oftentimes I'll just watch how they go about the game to see if I can pick anything up.
I am afraid its true. Almost everyone is clueless about how to properly use golf clubs. Even better players (and I hope that once I am scratch I will able to consider myself as such a player) don't always know exactly how to use their clubs. Some days I know exactly how I want every shot to work out, and on other days, I can't get it going the right direction to save my life.
I personally find it funny how many people try to squeeze out the extra yards, only to fail miserably. There is nothing honorable about hitting 5 iron when you should hit a 5 3 iron, or even better, a 5 wood. However, if you select the correct club and give your best shot and still miss, and least you tried and you weren't trying to impress people. And not only that, but you earned my respect, even if you can't hit it like other people!
I will be leaving in about an hour to complete a carpet job on the outside deck of Oakford golf club. I will have an excellent view of the 9th hole, a par 3 two hundred yarder. This type of thing does wonders for my attitude as it becomes clear to me that even though I struggle just to keep it under a hundred strokes a round I am still better than the vast majority of golfers.
I watched about five groups come through yesterday and not one person hit the green. No one, and I mean absolutely no one used enough club. Don't these people carry fairway woods?
Most (especially the men) teed off with irons and left themselves out around the white marker. Of course then they would some how find enough club in the bag to fly the green muff a chip and then three putt. Its a lot of fun to watch and is something I need to key on when I find myself becoming frustrated on the course. I may be a long way from being a good golfer but at least I have a clue.
I will keep an eye on them again today a let you know what the most ridiculous moment of the day is.
With all that said...if you understand it and practice hard to not do it yourself, you're well on your way to being a good golfer. If most people would just swollow their pride, hit the club they need and not swing out of their shoes they'd play a lot better. (me included sometimes, but I'm getting better at it )
November 19th, 2004, 08:54 AM
Judging from my experience, very few mid to high handicappers ever hit over the green on Par 3 holes. They may be long left or long right but they're rarely directly behind the green. 
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