Club Championship Results, Follow up to Tournament Preg Thread

[Tball88]

Ok, I'll be the first to post the results and mine were not good. We had 18 guys, a little light this year, usually we have 20-25. Last year, I was in the top ten, this year, I finished 12. My scores were all between 82-85.

Just so you know the course is a par 72 around 6900 yds.

Now that I've had time to settle here are my stats.

Driving Accuracy - 28/39, had no penalty shots all week off the tee. If youwould have told me that I'd drive the ball this well, I would have guessed I would have shot in the 70's all week.

Greens in Reg- 28/54, ok, nothing great, I was hoping for 10 greens on average, came close.

Up/Down Percentage: 6/26, pretty damn bad, less than 25%

Putting: 104 putts, average 34.66 per round, not good, I wanted to be around 33.

I learned, I have to work on short game and distance control with irons. My misses left and right didn't hurt me, but I jetted several greens that cost me dearly. I don't know if I was jacked up because it was a tournament or what.

Ex: Number 12, 161 to the pin, 165 over the back, typicaly 8 iron is around 155, I fly the entire green and get double bogey.

Short game was a disaster, day 1, I'm 2 over going into 11 hit a bit long and proceed to chip into the lake and get a six on the par three.

Day 2, I shoot 40 on the front 9 with an 8 on a par four. Just missed long, duffed a chip, blade the next chip into the lake.

My nerves really showed on short chips.

Oh well, back to the grind. I hope you guys have more success than I did, would love to hear how others do...

 

[Jared Willerson]

Mine is this weekend. I will let you know.

 

[mgranato]

Tuff rounds, but everyone has been there done that. The good news is you have a firm grip on what to work on, and no doubt you'll get 'em next year

 

[Kevin Shields]

Looks like some short game work is in order. Good luck.

 

[TROYNYGOLFER]

Ok, I'll be the first to post the results and mine were not good. We had 18 guys, a little light this year, usually we have 20-25. Last year, I was in the top ten, this year, I finished 12. My scores were all between 82-85.

Just so you know the course is a par 72 around 6900 yds.

Oh well, back to the grind. I hope you guys have more success than I did, would love to hear how others do...

Look at the bright side, at least you got to play. I was just shut down for the year by the doc with some ulnar collateral ligament mumbo-jumbo.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

mumbo-jumbo...haven't heard that in a while and made me laugh. Not at your situation mind you but just those words; thanks i needed it today.

 

[TROYNYGOLFER]

mumbo-jumbo...haven't heard that in a while and made me laugh. Not at your situation mind you but just those words; thanks i needed it today.

If I really wanted to make you laugh I would have posted a link to my swing video. So unless you can get tickets for a Seinfeld concert, you will have to wait until next year for a good laugh.

 

[blehnhard]

Lost in Finals 5 & 4 (32nd hole of match). Made 2 of 14 attempts in the 2' - 4' range. Had 4 3 putts and 1 4 putt (only needed to 2 putt to win the 17th hole in the morning round a get back to 2 down)- lost the hole to make it 4 down - not a pretty sight. Only 4 1 putts in 32 holes. Hit 11 greens in the morning and 11 of 14 in the afternoon.

Golf aint no fun when you can't putt!!

 

[cmartingolf]

TBall, thanks for posting the facts. Most golfers don't live in reality.

I've been running club championships for the past 15 years and I've seen a bunch of players shoot wads when they had to count them all. These are guys who "thought" they had game too.

You had the nuts to post your scores! Well done.

I've learned something after my first year at my first club; don't do anything to upset the apple cart.

I actually went to great length to work with the Super to get the course amped up for the first Club Championship of my Club Pro career: faster green speed, 6/6/6 pin set up, variable tee locations on the longer holes per the whether pattern (shorter or longer).

I got butchered by the members! The lil' ol Country Club was different and these guys couldn't adjust. Literally, guys were pissed at me. I was pretty shocked. I was 26 and these 50 y/o Bill Cosby sweater wearing chops were pissed because I had the course set up for the special occaision.

So, I learned a lesson.

The Club Championship at my last three jobs included:

-Me announcing names on the first tee with scoring table, snacks, etc.
-Groups play in threesomes or twosomes. NEVER foursomes!!!
-No change to the normal turf conditions they play day in day out and the 18 easiest pins I can find on the greens for the two rounds.
-Scoreboard, beers and aps after the round with a lot of sympathetic pats on the back when they "Just don't know what happened" to their round!!!!!

Occaisionally someone plays well. Rarely someone plays two days well.

Now, in my years, I have had a couple players, I mean exactly two, that could really play at the Amateur level. They are State Champs and make a dent nationally.

Otherwise the Club Championship is a total blood bath... Oh, the carnage

 

[GPM1985]

Yeah, the club I caddy at just had its championship. It's amazing how many guys had their worst round of the year on all three days.

 

[Jared Willerson]

Rained out...re-scheduled for next month

Martin, let me apologize for all golfers who attempt to play this game with no game. BTW, those "sympathetic" pats on the back come across as disengenuous and pompous. If everyone could play at the national level it wouldn't be much of a game

Your comments were inspiring.

 

[Tball88]

CM, thanks for the note. It was interesting, we had a guy who is a 1 handicap throw up an 88 the first day.

a friend of mine who is a 5 shot a 99 on the second day and birdied two of the last three holes to avoid a 100.

funny you mention course changes, they double cut and rolled our greens and they were much, much faster than normal. A lot of guys were belly aching because they weren't use to the speed.

It really put a premium on your approach shots, you had to stay under pins, if you got on the highside three putts were plentiful.

I guess the pressure and the fact that you can't post max equivalents makes the scores really jump.

Our leader after the first two days shot 75/68 and then shot an 82 on the final day.

 

[holeout]

Rained out...re-scheduled for next month

Martin, let me apologize for all golfers who attempt to play this game with no game. BTW, those "sympathetic" pats on the back come across as disengenuous and pompous. If everyone could play at the national level it wouldn't be much of a game

Your comments were inspiring.

Whoa there. I think all Martin is saying is that most guys who don't play a lick of competitive golf all year until the club championship typically don't play well. Hence, the easier course set up and trying to be understanding to guys who feel like they got hit by a train after they get off the course. It's not an insult, just the reality of the situation. Would you rather him look down his nose at them than be sympathetic?

Country club golfers by and large do not realize how different competitive golf is from golf. It's a different game altogether and most don't truly enjoy it, even among those that are actually good at it.

 

[GPM1985]

I don't have all that much experience, but to me competitive golf is just a different animal. I'd call it more satisfying (potentially) than fun, although it can be a blast when you're playing really well.

When you play casually, grinding is a choice. Having to grind can be a tough adjustment, and making that adjustment over the course of a competitive round can be a harrowing experience.

 

[Richie3Jack]

CM, thanks for the note. It was interesting, we had a guy who is a 1 handicap throw up an 88 the first day.

a friend of mine who is a 5 shot a 99 on the second day and birdied two of the last three holes to avoid a 100.

funny you mention course changes, they double cut and rolled our greens and they were much, much faster than normal. A lot of guys were belly aching because they weren't use to the speed.

It really put a premium on your approach shots, you had to stay under pins, if you got on the highside three putts were plentiful.

I guess the pressure and the fact that you can't post max equivalents makes the scores really jump.

Our leader after the first two days shot 75/68 and then shot an 82 on the final day.

Damn, what am I in for when we play there?








3JACK

 

[duckslice]

Rained out...re-scheduled for next month

Martin, let me apologize for all golfers who attempt to play this game with no game. BTW, those "sympathetic" pats on the back come across as disengenuous and pompous. If everyone could play at the national level it wouldn't be much of a game

Your comments were inspiring.

I’ve been lurking around this site for a while and cmartingolf’s follow up post made me chuckle. I can relate! Then, GLCoach’s follow up post touched a nerve with me. You see, I’m also a club pro who’s listened to members bitch about course set up after they shot “the worst round of their life” in the club championship. I suppose it’s because I’ve shot plenty of rounds in the 80’s in PGA section events and had to come back to my members (mostly the scratch guys) with feelings of shame and embarrassment. I’ve worked at clubs all over the country and many of these guys fit the same profile. They can shoot good scores on Saturday morning, on the same course they play every week, with the same bullshit equitable stroke allocation. (I’m sure cmartingolf knows these guys. They hit two balls OB, drop in the fairway, chunk their approach, skull the next shot over the green, chip on and three putt. In the cart on the way to the next tee they shout “give me a 7.”) Now I’m all for equitable stroke control because I consider sandbaggers are low level thieves. But, if I hit the ball 9 times on a hole, I write down 9 on the score card. I have to. I feel compelled to.
I too give sympathetic pats on the back like cmartingolf. Most of the time these gestures are sincere. I want these guys to play better. But, the truth remains – golf and tournament golf are not the same.

Chris Carlisle, PGA
Teaching Professional
Towne Lake Hills Golf Club
Woodstock, Georgia

 

[Richie3Jack]

I feel that tournaments should follow the rule of having 6 easy, 6 intermediate and 6 tough pin positions. I think it's real ridiculous for a club championship to put every hole in the toughest position. Also I get a kick out of when it rains hard and the course is a swamp and we're supposed to not lift, clean and place, despite plugged shots and massive chunks of mud on the ball. Clubs need to use better judgement.

I don't have a problem with the greens being lightning fast, other than it can cause slow play. But again, courses tend to overdo it. The Atlanta Open was played at a course called Heron Bay and the greens were so fast they they had to syringe most of the greens between groups for 4 minutes because they were in danger of killing the greens. I like tough conditions, but there has to be some common sense used when doing this, especially in club championships.






3JACK

 

[Jared Willerson]

I respect PGA pros and all they do. Sometimes pros just seem annoyed at golfers who aren't ex college players or "national" amateurs

I love competitive golf because it is the ultimate validator and yes, it is funny to see the guy who dominates the club low ball every weekend with par or better scores have to wthdraw after 9 holes because he just shot 50

 

[Robbohank]

I too got a chuckle out of CM's post. We recently had out city championship on a course I play quite often. It gets a big turnout (120+) and is flighted into 3 or 4 flights. 2 Day event over 2 courses. They typically set it up tougher than you ever see it during the year, but not totally impossible (although you will find a couple of holes each day that get set up extremely tough...... on those you really just need to play to the middle of the green and 2 putt for your par and move on). I love that fact that the staff makes an effort to differentiate the club championship from the everyday course setup.

Anyway, on day 2 I get paired with a guy I don't know, but who apparently plays at these courses often. We're coming down 17 and he is totally pissed at this point because they had used 4 or 5 of the "far back" tees on some holes that don't get used often (some, but not every day). It apparently sent his pre-game preparation into a tailspin and he couldn't recover. All I can think is "you have got to be kidding me?" How can a player not adjust to a different tee location? Do some of these guys have such rigid strategies that a different tee box screws em up? It amazes me that someone takes the time to set a strategy (a good idea), but can't account for the additional length that gets thrown at him on a few holes.

Tournament play IS different and I never understand all the complaining about nothing. It always comes out sounding like the complainer is the only one who had to play the course with that setup.

btw..... the best players in the field finished 1 and 2 in this event.

robbo

 

[birdie_man]

To me it's dumb to complain about harder (tournament) course conditions unless they are really unfair.

Everyone's scores will be higher. Big deal. Prepare for it if you are so serious.

Leave the Supers alone!