I played
Vale do Lobo Royal on Monday. I’ve never been somewhere so pristine and pure,
it even smelt nice (pine trees). Are all the expensive courses in that area
just as classy, or even more so? We played 3 Pestana tracks before (Gramacho,
Silves, Vale da Pinta), they were interesting but after VDL it felt a bit like
we’d wasted 3 days.
I’m
going to try and play more ‘proper’ courses this year. I’ve booked Prince’s, St
George’s and will hopefully try North Foreland & London GC a couple of
times. Blackheath is tempting too but it looks pricey for its length and
layout.
Played all those UK courses. Cost wise Princes is the best imo. Blackheath is ok but as you say is pricey for what it is. Plenty of similar courses in nearby Surrey such as Shirley Hills, Croham Hurst and the Addington ones. Don't like The London......
I played Croham Hurst on the 1st of March. Course was in good nick happy with scoring 34 points. Played Addington Palace on Friday 15th March course in excellent condition greens were lightening quick. Thought I played well but 26 points tells me differently
I've just played the most golf I ever have in 2 days - 18 at Princes yesterday, another 18 this morning plus 18 at North Foreland this afternoon.
I love the Shores nine at Princes, totalled 83 in my two goes at it. The new Himalayas is cool but it's not 'proper' links. Lots of ponds and waste areas, it looks more like a Chambers Bay, Whistling Straits type track than a UK links. I think the other nines will be renovated so hopefully they stay traditional.
My online favourites No Laying Up have had some quality podcasts recently. If you want a laugh then check out Aphibarnrat last week, and Eddie Pepperell's sense of humour isn't far behind https://nolayingup.com/category/podcasts/
Having played 25 times on the local pitch and putt with my teenage years 9 iron, 7 iron and putter, I recently invested in a full set of clubs, bag and trolley and tried out a 9 hole course with par 4s and 5s. The long holes have freaked me out and messed my swing right up through trying to add power.
Anyway... followed my mates advice of investing in lessons rather than clubs. 40 quid for clubs, 125 quid for 6 30-min lessons
Am getting into it. Even have a decent green outside my house to practice chipping. Am still crap, but am improving. Plenty of courses to try out around Norwich, too.
Even used this to convince myself to get Sky Sports when they rang up with an offer. I now have a whole new angle on watching golf.
Having played 25 times on the local pitch and putt with my teenage years 9 iron, 7 iron and putter, I recently invested in a full set of clubs, bag and trolley and tried out a 9 hole course with par 4s and 5s. The long holes have freaked me out and messed my swing right up through trying to add power.
Anyway... followed my mates advice of investing in lessons rather than clubs. 40 quid for clubs, 125 quid for 6 30-min lessons
Am getting into it. Even have a decent green outside my house to practice chipping. Am still crap, but am improving. Plenty of courses to try out around Norwich, too.
Even used this to convince myself to get Sky Sports when they rang up with an offer. I now have a whole new angle on watching golf.
Enjoying!
I played Costessey Park many years ago.....think it might have been the evening we beat Norwich 4-0 with Super Clive getting a hat trick.
As for the game of golf. Like you I started with pitch & put courses & progressed then onto 9 hole-ers with a mix if par 3's & 4. When I got onto main 18 holes I found myself trying to hit the ball too hard to get the distance. All that done was to produce a slice & therefore trouble with trees & OOB. Learnt to just play my own game & not try to keep up with the longer hitters. Best golfing days came within the last 15 years where I was hitting my drives fairly straight.....not long at all & generally can't reach a 400 yard par 4 in 2.....but can scramble well & as a 19 handicapper can usually get around a decent length course under 100. Keep it up & spend more time practicing chip shots than hitting 50 balls with your driver on the range.
Having played 25 times on the local pitch and putt with my teenage years 9 iron, 7 iron and putter, I recently invested in a full set of clubs, bag and trolley and tried out a 9 hole course with par 4s and 5s. The long holes have freaked me out and messed my swing right up through trying to add power.
Anyway... followed my mates advice of investing in lessons rather than clubs. 40 quid for clubs, 125 quid for 6 30-min lessons
Am getting into it. Even have a decent green outside my house to practice chipping. Am still crap, but am improving. Plenty of courses to try out around Norwich, too.
Even used this to convince myself to get Sky Sports when they rang up with an offer. I now have a whole new angle on watching golf.
Enjoying!
I played Costessey Park many years ago.....think it might have been the evening we beat Norwich 4-0 with Super Clive getting a hat trick.
As for the game of golf. Like you I started with pitch & put courses & progressed then onto 9 hole-ers with a mix if par 3's & 4. When I got onto main 18 holes I found myself trying to hit the ball too hard to get the distance. All that done was to produce a slice & therefore trouble with trees & OOB. Learnt to just play my own game & not try to keep up with the longer hitters. Best golfing days came within the last 15 years where I was hitting my drives fairly straight.....not long at all & generally can't reach a 400 yard par 4 in 2.....but can scramble well & as a 19 handicapper can usually get around a decent length course under 100. Keep it up & spend more time practicing chip shots than hitting 50 balls with your driver on the range.
played park wood on Friday - a really nice course by my standards anyway as usually hack my way round Barnehurst/cray valley/Ruxley reasonable aswell £29.50 and top quality and pretty quiet.
gradually finding a bit of consistency just need to work on my short game desperately as it is costing me a lot of shots.
played park wood on Friday - a really nice course by my standards anyway as usually hack my way round Barnehurst/cray valley/Ruxley reasonable aswell £29.50 and top quality and pretty quiet.
gradually finding a bit of consistency just need to work on my short game desperately as it is costing me a lot of shots.
Quite a long course from memory. Especially the par 4s. Have they finished the extension to the clubhouse? A lot of building work last time i was there.
I played Hever on.Monday. Beautiful course in great condition. Tough but fair course. 29 points though but felt I played better than the points suggest.
played park wood on Friday - a really nice course by my standards anyway as usually hack my way round Barnehurst/cray valley/Ruxley reasonable aswell £29.50 and top quality and pretty quiet.
gradually finding a bit of consistency just need to work on my short game desperately as it is costing me a lot of shots.
Quite a long course from memory. Especially the par 4s. Have they finished the extension to the clubhouse? A lot of building work last time i was there.
I played Hever on.Monday. Beautiful course in great condition. Tough but fair course. 29 points though but felt I played better than the points suggest.
still going on but compared to the cabbage patches i usually play was much nicer couple of pals have just moved from being members at westerham to hever they said the latter is far superior, towards the end of summer will get up there for a round.
Shame he didn't do it. I think he went looking for it on the par 3 16th instead of maybe just trying to put it on the green. Saying that, his 2nd to the 17th was out of this world. Shame he bunkered himself on the last.
played Cottesmore on Monday, very tight in places, greens were in great condition and a steady pace across the 18. Shot a 93 played some good stuff played some bad stuff but now currently playing off 15 (Self cut from 22 at start of year) scored 29 points in society day, and a friend I play with often is a 15 handicap and sick of giving me shots when I out drive him most of the time, so I've a long road ahead but working steadily towards a regular 15 handicap
Played Monday the worst I have ever played, 9 holes at Boars head . New course to me but no excuse not really sure what was happening started with a drive down the middle of the first fairway in excess of 250yards, still proceeded to lose 2 balls when only 150 yards or a bit more to the green, that summed it up completely. My around the green shots which are normally bread and butter would go past the green.
What I couldn't really grasp, I knew I was positioning myself in a bad line. So I knew I would be wayward unless I was fortunate but I couldn't fix on the course and just got worse, probably got around +3 on most holes on average, really disappointing but my 3rd round this year, other 2 on the 9 at poult wood (mainly par 3's) back to the drawing board, hoping to go on Saturday maybe somewhere in Orpington. I know I need lessons but just haven't got round to them, normally the aim is to shoot around 100 or slightly more round a normal 18, although I know I don't play enough to get better naturally.
Frustrating game, love the game. Monday I could have launched my clubs on many occasions and it takes a lot for me to lose it like that.
played Cottesmore on Monday, very tight in places, greens were in great condition and a steady pace across the 18. Shot a 93 played some good stuff played some bad stuff but now currently playing off 15 (Self cut from 22 at start of year) scored 29 points in society day, and a friend I play with often is a 15 handicap and sick of giving me shots when I out drive him most of the time, so I've a long road ahead but working steadily towards a regular 15 handicap
That is some hell of a cut, why did you do this because of your friend complaining? Surely you only cut it when your scores suggest so? I am not even good enough and last society day I played of a womans handicap scored about 25, its not that I am rubbish its just piecing everything together. One day my short game will be good, the next Tees and the latter rubbish, I put it mainly due to only going a handful of times a year, will try to go weekly up until September when I have a work golf day so hopefully I can be competitive by then.
played Cottesmore on Monday, very tight in places, greens were in great condition and a steady pace across the 18. Shot a 93 played some good stuff played some bad stuff but now currently playing off 15 (Self cut from 22 at start of year) scored 29 points in society day, and a friend I play with often is a 15 handicap and sick of giving me shots when I out drive him most of the time, so I've a long road ahead but working steadily towards a regular 15 handicap
I played off 18 3 weeks ago at seaford head and came in with 44 points. I quite like the challenge of the lower handicap. its quite a challenge not having a shot on a hole. In the past I have never used woods 4 iron was my longest club. I borrowed a driver a couple of months ago and my distance has improved no end, and my approach is a lot shorter so my scores are coming down. Not being a member of a club and not having an official handicap its hard to judge to some extent, so I use my society one and if you get a certain amount of points you'll get cut so society wise I've been cut to 14 as I said I am quite enjoying the challenge
Yesterday I played a Foursomes match with my partner playing off 29. At times it was a bit frustrating but overall it was probably the best lesson I’ve ever had in course management. I really had to think hard about what shots I was leaving him and also what advice I gave him for his shots.
Yesterday I played a Foursomes match with my partner playing off 29. At times it was a bit frustrating but overall it was probably the best lesson I’ve ever had in course management. I really had to think hard about what shots I was leaving him and also what advice I gave him for his shots.
The best advice when in position A1+ off your drive is to tell a very high handicapper to have an air shot 😉.
I played off 18 3 weeks ago at seaford head and came in with 44 points. I quite like the challenge of the lower handicap. its quite a challenge not having a shot on a hole. In the past I have never used woods 4 iron was my longest club. I borrowed a driver a couple of months ago and my distance has improved no end, and my approach is a lot shorter so my scores are coming down. Not being a member of a club and not having an official handicap its hard to judge to some extent, so I use my society one and if you get a certain amount of points you'll get cut so society wise I've been cut to 14 as I said I am quite enjoying the challenge
Love the last hole at Seaford Head.......all downhill.
And if you can score 44 points off 18 then you absolutely need to be cut.
Yesterday I played a Foursomes match with my partner playing off 29. At times it was a bit frustrating but overall it was probably the best lesson I’ve ever had in course management. I really had to think hard about what shots I was leaving him and also what advice I gave him for his shots.
The best advice when in position A1+ off your drive is to tell a very high handicapper to have an air shot 😉.
You’re not kidding! He hit an awful tee shot on a par 3 which landed in deep impossible rough still 100 yard from the pin. After looking for 30 seconds I said I think we’ll declare it lost, walked back to my bag to get my teeing iron, as I started my walk back to the tee he shouts to me ‘Found it!!!’ To be fair we would have had to birdie the second ball to get a half on the hole, we ended up with a 5.
Yesterday I played a Foursomes match with my partner playing off 29. At times it was a bit frustrating but overall it was probably the best lesson I’ve ever had in course management. I really had to think hard about what shots I was leaving him and also what advice I gave him for his shots.
The best advice when in position A1+ off your drive is to tell a very high handicapper to have an air shot 😉.
You’re not kidding! He hit an awful tee shot on a par 3 which landed in deep impossible rough still 100 yard from the pin. After looking for 30 seconds I said I think we’ll declare it lost, walked back to my bag to get my teeing iron, as I started my walk back to the tee he shouts to me ‘Found it!!!’ To be fair we would have had to birdie the second ball to get a half on the hole, we ended up with a 5.
Glad to see you thinking off the lower handicap, frustrated etc. he probably felt more under pressure playing with you, I hope he didn't realise you were getting frustrated , doubt that would help.
FWIW that's coming from someone who is low standard , just I feel it has its own pressure anyway. I am sure you probably helped him but the way you put it on here seems quite bitter
Yesterday I played a Foursomes match with my partner playing off 29. At times it was a bit frustrating but overall it was probably the best lesson I’ve ever had in course management. I really had to think hard about what shots I was leaving him and also what advice I gave him for his shots.
The best advice when in position A1+ off your drive is to tell a very high handicapper to have an air shot 😉.
You’re not kidding! He hit an awful tee shot on a par 3 which landed in deep impossible rough still 100 yard from the pin. After looking for 30 seconds I said I think we’ll declare it lost, walked back to my bag to get my teeing iron, as I started my walk back to the tee he shouts to me ‘Found it!!!’ To be fair we would have had to birdie the second ball to get a half on the hole, we ended up with a 5.
Glad to see you thinking off the lower handicap, frustrated etc. he probably felt more under pressure playing with you, I hope he didn't realise you were getting frustrated , doubt that would help.
FWIW that's coming from someone who is low standard , just I feel it has its own pressure anyway. I am sure you probably helped him but the way you put it on here seems quite bitter
No, we just laughed it off. We won on the last hole and he said it was his most enjoyable round of the year so I’m sure he was able to relax a little.
Like I say, it was a good learning experience for me as I don’t concentrate on course management as much as I did yesterday. Hopefully it will help me in future.
I played off 18 3 weeks ago at seaford head and came in with 44 points. I quite like the challenge of the lower handicap. its quite a challenge not having a shot on a hole. In the past I have never used woods 4 iron was my longest club. I borrowed a driver a couple of months ago and my distance has improved no end, and my approach is a lot shorter so my scores are coming down. Not being a member of a club and not having an official handicap its hard to judge to some extent, so I use my society one and if you get a certain amount of points you'll get cut so society wise I've been cut to 14 as I said I am quite enjoying the challenge
Love the last hole at Seaford Head.......all downhill.
And if you can score 44 points off 18 then you absolutely need to be cut.
18th is very much an ‘open your shoulders and let fly’ tee shot. Stunning views from the tee. Not so stunning as you take your second shot surrounded by gorse bushes after hooking your tee shot. Not played there for years but used to be very good for a municipal course.
Yesterday I played a Foursomes match with my partner playing off 29. At times it was a bit frustrating but overall it was probably the best lesson I’ve ever had in course management. I really had to think hard about what shots I was leaving him and also what advice I gave him for his shots.
The best advice when in position A1+ off your drive is to tell a very high handicapper to have an air shot 😉.
You’re not kidding! He hit an awful tee shot on a par 3 which landed in deep impossible rough still 100 yard from the pin. After looking for 30 seconds I said I think we’ll declare it lost, walked back to my bag to get my teeing iron, as I started my walk back to the tee he shouts to me ‘Found it!!!’ To be fair we would have had to birdie the second ball to get a half on the hole, we ended up with a 5.
Glad to see you thinking off the lower handicap, frustrated etc. he probably felt more under pressure playing with you, I hope he didn't realise you were getting frustrated , doubt that would help.
FWIW that's coming from someone who is low standard , just I feel it has its own pressure anyway. I am sure you probably helped him but the way you put it on here seems quite bitter
No, we just laughed it off. We won on the last hole and he said it was his most enjoyable round of the year so I’m sure he was able to relax a little.
Like I say, it was a good learning experience for me as I don’t concentrate on course management as much as I did yesterday. Hopefully it will help me in future.
Thanks for your response mate, I took your original comments to seem like you were annoyed/ bitter about it Glad you both enjoyed it, that's what it should be about
For those aren't members of a club and "guess" their handicaps, I suggest using MyOnlineGolf. After three rounds it'll calculate your handicap, then continue to track it with each new scorecard you put in. Everyone who doesn't have an official handicap in my society uses it and it's pretty damn good. Most courses are already on there, so just a case of finding it, entering the conditions / tees you played off, chuck in score. Job done.
I gave up golf for about ten years when the kids came around as I couldn’t afford the time or the money. Since I started back it’s been my ambition to get back, even if only briefly, to the handicap I achieved as a decent teenager (6). In those days your handicap was based on your best ever score as opposed to these days under the CONGU system when you have to earn it consistently rather than just have one daft day (which some then struggle to play to afterwards). Despite a number of ailments both mental and physical I got down to 6.9 today which is the best I’ve been in nearly 40 years so I’m homing in. I’m determined to do it even if the putting stroke and the old brain are much less trustworthy than they were. A minor and inconsequential achievement in life’s rich tapestry but for a day at least I’m feeling pleased with myself.
Comments
Anyway... followed my mates advice of investing in lessons rather than clubs. 40 quid for clubs, 125 quid for 6 30-min lessons
Am getting into it. Even have a decent green outside my house to practice chipping. Am still crap, but am improving. Plenty of courses to try out around Norwich, too.
Even used this to convince myself to get Sky Sports when they rang up with an offer. I now have a whole new angle on watching golf.
Enjoying!
As for the game of golf. Like you I started with pitch & put courses & progressed then onto 9 hole-ers with a mix if par 3's & 4. When I got onto main 18 holes I found myself trying to hit the ball too hard to get the distance. All that done was to produce a slice & therefore trouble with trees & OOB. Learnt to just play my own game & not try to keep up with the longer hitters. Best golfing days came within the last 15 years where I was hitting my drives fairly straight.....not long at all & generally can't reach a 400 yard par 4 in 2.....but can scramble well & as a 19 handicapper can usually get around a decent length course under 100. Keep it up & spend more time practicing chip shots than hitting 50 balls with your driver on the range.
gradually finding a bit of consistency just need to work on my short game desperately as it is costing me a lot of shots.
I've played both Son Vida and Son Muntaner - would recommend both, especially Son Vida.
I played Hever on.Monday. Beautiful course in great condition. Tough but fair course. 29 points though but felt I played better than the points suggest.
Rory is on fire 🔥
On for a 59 final round....
8 shots in the lead with 4 holes to play
Great news for next week 👍
Come on Rory !!!
Played Monday the worst I have ever played, 9 holes at Boars head . New course to me but no excuse not really sure what was happening started with a drive down the middle of the first fairway in excess of 250yards, still proceeded to lose 2 balls when only 150 yards or a bit more to the green, that summed it up completely. My around the green shots which are normally bread and butter would go past the green.
What I couldn't really grasp, I knew I was positioning myself in a bad line. So I knew I would be wayward unless I was fortunate but I couldn't fix on the course and just got worse, probably got around +3 on most holes on average, really disappointing but my 3rd round this year, other 2 on the 9 at poult wood (mainly par 3's) back to the drawing board, hoping to go on Saturday maybe somewhere in Orpington. I know I need lessons but just haven't got round to them, normally the aim is to shoot around 100 or slightly more round a normal 18, although I know I don't play enough to get better naturally.
Frustrating game, love the game. Monday I could have launched my clubs on many occasions and it takes a lot for me to lose it like that.
That is some hell of a cut, why did you do this because of your friend complaining? Surely you only cut it when your scores suggest so? I am not even good enough and last society day I played of a womans handicap scored about 25, its not that I am rubbish its just piecing everything together. One day my short game will be good, the next Tees and the latter rubbish, I put it mainly due to only going a handful of times a year, will try to go weekly up until September when I have a work golf day so hopefully I can be competitive by then.
Self cut? What??
And if you can score 44 points off 18 then you absolutely need to be cut.
Glad to see you thinking off the lower handicap, frustrated etc. he probably felt more under pressure playing with you, I hope he didn't realise you were getting frustrated , doubt that would help.
FWIW that's coming from someone who is low standard , just I feel it has its own pressure anyway. I am sure you probably helped him but the way you put it on here seems quite bitter
Never say sorry though. Makes it worse.
Like I say, it was a good learning experience for me as I don’t concentrate on course management as much as I did yesterday. Hopefully it will help me in future.
Not played there for years but used to be very good for a municipal course.
Thanks for your response mate, I took your original comments to seem like you were annoyed/ bitter about it
Absolute shite.
Rory.