Eye opening playing with low HC

[Mudball]

Played in the company social golf event. It was Texas Scramble. Got paired with couple of young turks with HC of 12 & 15. Apparently one of them was good enough to make his county boys team before Uni & Work got in the way. In the lead up to the game, I had a couple of games to try and find my game, but did not. But lo and behold, my driver found its rhythm on the day and I was hitting 210-240y. Was very happy with my driver, but it was all irrelevant

Nothing prepared me for playing with the boys. They were crushing it. The County lad's avg range was 280-300y. Foxholer had written a cheatsheet for me on how to navigate the course. The boys loved it but they also ripped apart my rule book of laying up. With the ability to drive long, they cut corners and made water hazards irrelevant. Given their range, they converted couple of P5 into P4s. I have never seen anyone hit a 230y just off the fairway with their 3W.

It was amazing experience to see what is possible if you have the length. Now if they were only consistent or could putt then we would have finished top of the board rather than come 4th. Having had this experience, I am nearly tempted to get out and play some more..

Finally... a big shoutout for Foxholer for an amazing guide of how to play the course. The two guys loved it and apparently they have had handwritten notes given to them when they play on their league. But they mentioned that they had never seen anything this comprehensive

 

[Foxholer]

Ha! It is a course that big hitters can power away from we lesser hackers! Apparently, on 16, Adam Scott went OVER the tree that can block mortals out! Finished on the wrong part of the green though!

Presumably, they (or at least 1 of them) smashed it down the middle of 10 and went for the green (as opposed to playing 2nd and 3rd shots in reverse order!) And went for the green on 6! Of course, Scramble encourages aggression, so my 'conservative' approach was probably a bit negative!

Hope you enjoyed the day!

 

[xreyuk]

I’m on the other end of the spectrum, I’m not a big hitter but my most recent rounds are around 4-8 over par.

Difference between me and them, I’m not a long hitter (Drive about 240-260 dependent on roll) but I am, generally straight and a good scrambler.

The really low golfers can do both!

 

[patricks148]

I don't want to burst you bubble,but 12 and 15 is average,low lwould be plus figures , we have a 12 year old that's +1

 

[Face breaker]

Played with an 18yr old lad this afternoon who plays off of 6, smashes the ball miles but also has to smash his second shot a country mile just to get himself back on the correct fairway...

Not much in the way of finesse going on and I 'off of 21' made a fair ole chunk of his ironwork look very agricultural, very agricultural indeed...

Noticed he also relies on luck a fair bit...

 

[Redtraveller]

What scores did they shoot?

 

[SaintHacker]

Played with an 18yr old lad this afternoon who plays off of 6, smashes the ball miles but also has to smash his second shot a country mile just to get himself back on the correct fairway...

Not much in the way of finesse going on and I 'off of 21' made a fair ole chunk of his ironwork look very agricultural, very agricultural indeed...

Noticed he also relies on luck a fair bit...

He's off 6, you off 21, and you're criticising his game?

 

[jim8flog]

I played a Texas scramble with 3 guys none of whom had played on before.

3 of us were single figure and one at 14. The 14 handicapper could hit the ball miles (350 yards on occasions).

The hardest thing for me was getting them to realise we could not take his drive every time. On one hole I had left an 80 yarder to green but the other three insisted on the big hitter's drive because he had left only 40 yards to the green. The net result of the various insistencies was that I was left with 2 drives required from me with only 3 holes to play and on the 18th tee only I could drive and our 18th can be a tough driving hole.

 

[Face breaker]

He's off 6, you off 21, and you're criticising his game?

No, not criticising at all, merely voicing my observations, he'd be off of scratch if he could control himself off of the tee's, lots and lots of over-shooting going on, I lost count of how many times he ended up out the back of the green, like I said, a lack of finesse, just blasted everything from driver to lob-wedge into the stratosphere, putting was nowt exceptional either, plenty of 2 and 3 putts going on...

I know where my issues lay, getting off of the tee's is the main issue along side trying to use the wrong club to get outta the long stuff, iron-work and putting is 99% spot on, yeah the odd shank here or there even the odd 3 putt but who doesn't, but for the most that side of my game is very solid...

 

[Joff]

No, not criticising at all, merely voicing my observations, he'd be off of scratch if he could control himself off of the tee's, lots and lots of over-shooting going on, I lost count of how many times he ended up out the back of the green, like I said, a lack of finesse, just blasted everything from driver to lob-wedge into the stratosphere, putting was nowt exceptional either, plenty of 2 and 3 putts going on...

I know where my issues lay, getting off of the tee's is the main issue along side trying to use the wrong club to get outta the long stuff, iron-work and putting is 99% spot on, yeah the odd shank here or there even the odd 3 putt but who doesn't, but for the most that side of my game is very solid...

99% spot on 😂😂😂

 

[Mudball]

Ha! It is a course that big hitters can power away from we lesser hackers! Apparently, on 16, Adam Scott went OVER the tree that can block mortals out! Finished on the wrong part of the green though!

Presumably, they (or at least 1 of them) smashed it down the middle of 10 and went for the green (as opposed to playing 2nd and 3rd shots in reverse order!) And went for the green on 6! Of course, Scramble encourages aggression, so my 'conservative' approach was probably a bit negative!

Hope you enjoyed the day!

. Had to use my (good) drive on 10, but crossed the water with the 2nd shot. Cut the corner on the 14th with a 90y pitch left. Across the water on 17th with a 100ish yard left. Across the water on 18th with the second shot off someone’s drive.

On the green in 2 on the 1st (231y shot). Cut the water with 140y left on 2nd. I had to use my shot on 6th (last chance) so they boom-boomed on either sides. No one got hit green on 8th. Neither hit fairway on 9th which was longest drive.

As we were finishing, we saw a boy playing on his own. Might not have been more tha 12-13. Apparently he was not having a good day day because he had double bogied the 5th in an otherwise par day.

I don't want to burst you bubble,but 12 and 15 is average,low lwould be plus figures , we have a 12 year old that's +1

True.. but way lower than me. Also they were recovering golfaholics who were single digits in their youth.

 

[Pin-seeker]

He's off 6, you off 21, and you're criticising his game?

I suppose you’ve never criticised a professional footballer/manager?

 

[inc0gnito]

I would love someone to do some stats and calculate some confidence intervals around handicaps

 

[Face breaker]

99% spot on 

Yep, 99% spot on, like I said, the odd shank here and there, the odd 3 putt here and there, but who doesn't, getting off the tee's is my biggest issue...

ps, and it's a 'BIG' issue...