Golf - classic or dud

I've been playing for 45 years--almost daily for a couple of years in my teens, regularly and semi-regularly at other times, and I mostly stopped through my 20s. The game remains a complete mystery.

I had one of my best 9s a couple of weeks ago. Only 43, but I parred 6 of 9 holes (one with a long putt and one with a chip-in off the green, so there was some luck). Also took an 8 and a 7, and then on the back I was 52.

Last week, I played 15 holes in 78--I could have and should have come in about 93 or 94. But the other three pushed me over 100. I drove great, putted pretty well, and was a nightmare chipping and pitching within 100 yards.

Before I die, or before I physically break down, I want to be able to go out there and shoot in the mid-80s with some consistency. I've been trying forever, and it just never happens. (I'm going to try a few lessons next spring.)

work strictly on chipping and putting imo

Unless you have a terrible slice or hook problem I agree that putting and dropping your approach shots onto the green make the difference between par or not par. This is not my wisdom, but my dad was a HS golf coach whose teams always placed high in the state tournament, a low-handicapper, and had five attested lifetime holes-in-one. He loved to talk golf. I listened in order to be able to converse with him sensibly.

lol at pga throwing finau, dj and bryson d all in the same group

Had no idea this was going on till it was on the TV in a restaurant tonight. I wasn't sure if they were replaying an old Open.

watched 10+ hours of this yesterday. beautifully brutal with only 3 players breaking par on the day - bryson, bubba, and hideki.

villain patrick reed by one shot over villain bryson dechambeau at the halfway point.

has there every been a great player (4 majors is unquestionably great imo) who has failed so consistently and completely whenever he has had to play around a difficult golf course in firm conditions as mcilroy has? especially if it's windy as well? paul mcginley likes to pull out the stat that rory has never won a tournament where the winning score is worse than -12, and watching rory play that doesn't surprise me. but you'd figure he'd get it done at least once.

in other news jordan spieth now officially dead.

boo. not quite as difficult today. greens look softer.
rory -2 front nine which is good playing.

man with the coolest trigger move in golf matt wolff leads by 2 from bryson.
man with swing of my dreams louis o. another 2 back. rory still in it at 1 over.
will be rooting,as ever, for hideki. turn on the sub air and let the carnage commence.

I have never actually seen Bryson and his new swing this year. Cyborg.

Wolff has more hitches in his swing than I don't know what! Even his little pre-swing address has a hitch.

hard to play a more impressive rd than bryson just did tbqh

Loved watching Wolff hope he can sustain a long and competent career cos I love weird swings. That pre swing move is hilarious and I kinda want to try It to kick my motion and tempo in gear.

45 years, almost made my first-ever eagle today. Short par 4 (305 yards), hit a decent drive, pushed it a little right. Hit a 9 into the green and caught it perfect; I could see it rolling on and right towards the pin, but couldn't tell how close. Six inches--weirdly, though, above the hole, like it somehow curled around.

^^^someone's been reading bryson's aiming charts

True...305 yards--what's that, a 5-iron for him?

I suspect we all know that this is the only good spectator

Mooving day at the @DDFIrishOpen 🐮#DDFIrishOpen pic.twitter.com/qJPj8F4uxp

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) September 26, 2020

So happy to watch Sei Young Kim win her first major today, the Women's PGA. Was probably the best currently active player without one. Put on an absolute clinic today with a 63 in the final group holding off a charging Inbee Park ( a legend herself). Love her aggressive flag hunting game.

From pond to pin! Rahm skips to a hole-in-one on No. 16 at #themasters pic.twitter.com/JNNPWgW9OP

— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 10, 2020

insane

um, what the fuck

He had a hole in one at #4 the day before as well!

boo. featured group coverage at masters for first time ever, looking fwd to ten hours of golf and play gets suspended after 5 mins and may not restart for another 4 hours.

Westwood 4 under thru 8 and leading! lol just birdied the 9th as well. get em LJ!!

tiger about to go 3 under. course really soft, scores v low. prefer it when the greens are fast but with no fans some.of the camera angles and shots are new to me and great.

Oh Lee. You tease

Very shocking to update the golf leaderboard and see those scores. Imagine if he has a consistent tournament!

Rickie tee update: 7:26 GMT

Everyone did a nice job today. A v low-scoring round. I've got to wonder how the silence could be positively impacting the psychological game. Casey sounding sort of rapturous when he was describing the atmosphere to one interviewer. Rickie on -3.

yah. excellent day's play. rickie has been terrible all year so nice to see him turn it around. if anywhere could revitalise a player I thought it would be Augusta and spieth but not so far, jordy now #80 in the world!

matthew wolff played a couple of exquisite chip shots and his major record so far is played 2 finished 4th and 2nd.

as always rooting for hideki who has really upped his fashion game in 2020 with his shoes/shirt combos.

hoping hideki does it this time. or finau. couple guys who havent broken through yet.

larry mize! -2!

greatest swing of all time

oh man, larry mize! haven’t thought about him in ages. that’s awesome.

pulling for westwood, but i kinda expect brysonbot to have a dominant day tomorrow

langer 4 under thru 13 holes! love when the old boys show up the youngsters round this course

Rory almost broke shot tracer such was the severity of his duck hook off 13

sungjae im owner of the slowest takeaway since inbee park currently at 5 under

as always rooting for hideki who has really upped his fashion game in 2020 with his shoes/shirt combos.

Strong agree

bryson finishes bogey-bogey to possibly miss the cut.
rahm joins the logjam at -9.

Near flawless golf from DJ today. Shot making, decision making, putting. Everything totally on point.
Cam Smith with back to back insane up and downs on 16 and 17, the one on 17 wasn' t even from the correct fairway.

This chi chi fit is the goat golf fit

Chi Chi Rodriguez and his caddie at Augusta in 1975. pic.twitter.com/wGwyqEWXzI

— GOLFTV (@GOLFTV) November 13, 2020

tiger with a 10(ten) at the 12th.

dj's driving a little off today. hope he can 2 putt #8 for a birdie and right the ship.

lol at bryson dechambeau

rough weekend for the big golf boy.

Im's languorous approach with a 6-iron is mad! Such a fragmented swing. Very exciting though - really hope he can make it happen!

tiger followed his ten by birdieing 5 of his last 6 holes because of course he did. never really rooted for him but by god he tries on every single shot whatever his score is.

Yes, that was an impressive turnaround. This was also the most psychologically solid I’ve seen McIlroy in ages - normally seems like he is seething internally.

Insane showing from Cameron Smith - all four rounds under par! DJ is a machine. Very happy for young Im.

*under 70...

cam smith made birdies and pars from some insane places, love to see it.

Im's chip at 15 was incredible.

happy for DJ he was great this week and for the last 3 months tbh.

smith probably gave the best non-winning performance in augusta history

Did I read that no one has ever posted four rounds in the 60s before at Augusta?

Yeah that's right Michael.

Insane to think that when tiger posted -18 in '97 the next best score was -6!

Love sungjae Im. Remember his first year on tour when joel dahmen's caddie tweeted after they played with sungjae that in his 14 years caddieing on the tour Im was the best rookie he had ever seen bar none.

And Tiger went out in 40 on the Thursday in '97... -22 for the last 63 holes! I remember thinking Montgomerie was going to reel him in after round 2. Hilariously wrong. Strange that Tom Kite was runner-up. Another era. That would be like Federer overlapping with Connors or something.

ha ha yes. was watching '97 masters the other day and was taken aback to see that it was faldo putting the jacket on tiger and then remembering that faldo's comeback vs Norman was only the previous year so it wasn't as if tiger came on the scene when faldo was years and years past his prime, he came on the scene when faldo was still good enough to win majors! but as you say it seems like another era altogether.