Your seasons experiences

[pokerjoke]

Im really interested in peoples experiences this season,on or away from their own course.
Opens,club championships,big amateur events etc.
We have 6 opens booked for this year,mainly on courses within an hour and a half of home.
12 of us generally travel,sharing the costs,we get to play good courses,usually in good nick.
Our first was at Royal North Devon,this is the oldest course in England, steeped in tradition.
A pure links course,wild and natural.
The wind was howling.
4 Ball 2 scores to count.
We scored 75 our other 4 ball 76 only 8 for this one.
When we left there had been 2 scores of 91 so we were well and truly off the pace.
However great day out,lots of banter.
Off to Ilfracombe next and East devon after that[happy days].
Tell us about you experiences so far.

 

[louise_a]

I have played in a couple of opens so far, at Gatley, a 9 hole course, we played a team of 3 with 2 scores to count each hole, we had 74 points and came 3rd, 1 point behind the winners, not too bad except that on 9/18, a short par 3 we only had one score both time we played it.
Also played a pairs at Warrington, and were well behind the winners.

I have another 4 opens booked

I have Played for the club a few times, our team of 4 qualified for a Lancashire handicap final. I am also 100% in matchplay games away from home.
tomorrow I am playing in the England Golf regional medal final

And last but not least I have played a couple of GMOOM rounds scoring 31 at Bolton Old Links and 34 at Davyhulme, both off 7/8 handicap.

 

[EuanRoss]

Been only playing at my home course so far this year. Been 77-7-70 the last twice I've played which is just about the best I can shoot and have been a wee bit miffed that our CSS has come down to 71 both times. The quest for a 6 handicap carries on this weekend.

 

[StrangelyBrown]

Started off full of hope, regularly breaking 90 in bounce games.

Shot 108 in the opening medal.

Shot 97 in the next medal.

Won a family 4somes tie last night 5&4.

Getting more lessons, can't find enough time to practice.

Weather inconsistent.

That's about it.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

Practicing regularly, having a few lessons, scoring diabolically, regularly shooting 82+ in medals and creeping ever upwards, still have ambitions to lower handicap but reality says it ain't gonna happen anytime soon, genuinely disappointed as I know I can do better, but if this season continues in the same manner as it has started it could be my last. I don't see any pleasure in descending to a game where I can't/don't shoot better than 85,

 

[patricks148]

Not much to write about.

A succession of 0.1 in the medals so far then came 2nd in the first round of the club champs last weekend to take me back to where I started handicap wise. Course is starting to look a bit better now its warmed up a bit.



Only played 2 other courses so far this season Nairn Dunbar, which was in fantastic condition and a couple of games at Castle Stuart also great.



Through to the 2nd round of the club scratch knockout after beating a guy who is 5 shots lower than me.



Though overall I would say I was inconsistant a best, its either very good or very bad, mostly very bad.

 

[bladeplayer]

Im playing in a thing this year called Irelands top golfer , its a series of junior (in my case) scratch cups through out the country , ive no illusions of being Irelands top golfer & the 0.1's aren't helping my handicap but I hope it will make me a better all round golfer & by the end of it the handicap I have will not just be a home club handicap ...

so far this season ive played in 4 events , In Bunclody they had us off the back sticks nearly all the way around , don't think ive ever hit my 3/4/5 irons as much in a round of golf .. last Sunday I was up in Lough Erne had 3 or 4 poor holes but in general my ball striking was good .. I find playing with total strangers & guys off lower handicaps is helping my confidence , in getting to believe im as good as these guys & better than some of them aswell ...... I don't mean that to sound cocky it just you have illusions that these guys are so much better , when in reality on any given day they are not ..

Meanwhile back home in my own club I seem to be making the buffer a lot even with the odd bad hole or shots included , so hopefully I have a decent score or two in me & can finish in or around top 10 in Club OOM this year ..

 

[Whee]

Nothing but 0.1's so far this season.

Played in the city's 2 round open at my course. Beautiful day, course set up very tough, putted like a bell ringer early doors, got too nervous for some reason. Shot 105 and was well out of the running. Had used nearly double my handicap, decided not to play the second round.

Medal followed, was under handicap at the turn - hooked one out of bounds at the 12th, then lost a beauty in the grass on 13. 0.1 back.

Took a lesson, now feelign ace about the game - expecting a couple more 0.1's initially, but then making progress and a handicap going in the right direction again!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

No Opens yet but planning to enter the one I did last year at East Berks in September. My golf has been almost exclusively at my home course and has seen my game dive to new depths while I was going through my swing changes, scoring 23, 20 & 18 points in consecutive rounds. In the last few weeks I have risen like a phoenix from the ashes and broke 80 twice in consecutive comps in the last two weeks which saw me back down to single figures.

I've played a couple of club 4BBB comps with Homer in which we have achieved our usual level of mid table obscurity but the Nike matchplay is coming up and we both seem to be hitting a bit of form so who knows what might happen.

My only jaunt away from the Heath of Dreams has been to the West Course at Wentworth where I manged to birdie the 1st hole and go round the front 9 in only 6 over before the course chewed me up and spat me out on the back nine and I finished at +20.

 

[Fish]

Highs & Lows but in the words of Karen Carpenter, Its Only Just Begun.

Cuts of .4 twice in the first 2 medals then 0.1's in the following 2 and then buffer in the last one so averages are not too bad.

Won all my matchplay board comp knock-outs so far in 2 separate comps after qualifying. I'm 1 match away from a semi-final place in one of them.

2nd in a pairs foursomes stroke-play board comp.

Winning some decent sweep money both in teams and individually so overall I'm OK but feel I should be doing better!

Not played any opens yet but got plenty booked later in the year at Wallasey, Beau Desert and Preston and I've got the North West OOM also :thup:

 

[Rach.wills]

Can't stop hitting buffer in competitions.
Ranging from -3 to +7 in practice; comes to a competition +6 every time. Grueling stuff but had a .3 cut so far this season with 4 qualifying rounds next week. In need of greens to finally roll smoothly, bring the practice into competition.

 

[Birchy]

Started off season well with first two medal scores 72 & 73 then had an absolute collapse where i could barely even hit the ball, felt like launching my clubs into a lake. Had 3 lessons with our club pro and he has got me back on track and restored my confidence. Since then ive come 2nd in a board comp at the weekend and got cut to 18 then followed that up yesterday with another second place in the midweek medal to get cut to 17.

Played an open 4BBB at Pleasington where we scored solid but not enough to trouble the places. Also played at Delamere forest and won the mini meet there with 37 points.

The ball striking is back and the short game has turned into a machine so this is only the beginning.

 

[mcbroon]

I've yet to play away from home in competition. At home, I played well at the tail-end of the winter league comps (non-qualifying), shooting 75, 78 on consecutive weekends. Full of hope for the first medal of the 'summer' season, I shot 89 for 0.1 back.

A fortnight later, with no real expectations, I shot 75 and got cut by 1.8 (and won the comp by 6). Next medal out, hopes high once more, I birdied the 1st and thought I was going to shoot the lights out again. Shot another 89. There's no in between, it seems. It's either very good or very bad.

My most enjoyable round was a Winter League pairs match which went to 5 extra holes. We lost, but it was great.

 

[scratch]

Nothing exciting for me yet. Played opens at Saunton, RND, Burnhamd&Berrow and Camberley Heath so far. Missing county champs this weekend as HID wants to go to Wentworth. Got the Eden tournament at St Andrews in August to look forward to and one or two others which I'll enter but winding back a bit this year. Played 14 or 15 scratch opens last year and not one single medal at my home club.

 

[Fish]

Nothing exciting for me yet. Played opens at Saunton, RND, Burnhamd&Berrow and Camberley Heath so far. Missing county champs this weekend as HID wants to go to Wentworth. Got the Eden tournament at St Andrews in August to look forward to and one or two others which I'll enter but winding back a bit this year. Played 14 or 15 scratch opens last year and not one single medal at my home club.

This is a popular event at my club with some decent prize money on offer for a very small green/entry fee along with lunch & dinner IMO.

http://www.kenilworthgolfclub.co.uk/kenilworth-classic-open-wednesday-12-june-2013

 

[scratch]

Cheers Fish I'll check that out, if I can't get time off work for this year I'll pencil it in for next year. Isn't Gary Wolstenhulme a member at your place?

 

[Fish]

Cheers Fish I'll check that out, if I can't get time off work for this year I'll pencil it in for next year. Isn't Gary Wolstenhulme a member at your place?

Yes he is, we have a few others on tour currently, Jamie Elson being the most current.

 

[jimbob.someroo]

Good start to the year so far, primarily due to being fortunate enough to get picked for the TM day at Wentworth. It's really given me a renewed enthusiasm for playing lots - and eliminated one of my main excuses (about clubs not being right ...)

Probably played away 5 or 6 times, mostly in matches or tournaments and have done ok - winning one event on the Surrey Golf Tour with my personal best of +1 scratch on an away course.

Docked my handicap from 9.5 to 7.2 and hoping to go further if I can, whilst still managing to enjoy it.

Main goal for the year is to get into our clubs Scratch Open comp. Handicap limit will be 5 so it's something to work towards.

 

[Region3]

I don't get to play in lots of qualifiers. So far this year I've had 2 x buffer and 2 x 0.1 back.
Out of both the singles and 4BBB matchplay competitions.

Not entered any of the national matchplay comps this year, but playing in an Am/Am at Beau Desert next Monday which I'm looking forward to.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Played most of the season at home bar a club match away where I came good to secure a tasty win. My form at the Heath of Dreams has been patchy at best. Felt for along time as though its coming but haven't managed to reach the lazarus like recovery of Hawkeye and my handicap has gone up to 10.6 or 11 in real money. The goal is still single figures but need to make a start soon