As of today my Spring handicap is 14ish. Not that it matters, but it gives some perspective. About 30 years ago I was ready to throw my clubs in a fairway pond...my hair started smoking I was so mad, and why?... yea, shanked one. Now my score looked like 110 rather than 109. Big deal.
So I thought ( a rarity) ...why did I spend all that money on clubs, and $20 for the round only to drive myself to the brink of insanity? hmmm....good question. At that point, life changed...for the better.
If you can relate to this, here are some ways I've learned to enjoy the game.
Golf Trip IV, 15-25 Sep 2010
We have 7 confirmed players and there is room for 1 or 2 more. the tee times are set, transportation arrangements are set, and the room cost will be approx $55/night including breakfast..
Some rules:
1) only 1 mulligan per 9 holes, and you must wear the mulligan hat for that hole
2) lift and clean okay from tee to green
3) the score kept by the caddie is deemed official
I've also updated the specific costs on the Trip Details page.
The flight details as well as a "what to take" list are provided on the Trip Details page.
Khao Kheow again. Typical long grass and mountainous backdrops. We'll play here once during the week.
I sometimes think our golfing ancestors may have resembled the Stooges in this clip.
The odds of someone beating their handicap -- if it's an honest handicap -- by eight strokes are 1,138 to 1. For most players that represents about 54 years of golf -- a lifetime for many. The odds of beating your number by eight strokes twice in a single tournament are 14,912 to 1, or 710 years of golf...or you are a confirmed Sandbagger.
I have a current handicap of 14.1 and shot a 77on a Par 71 course, beating my handicap by 8 strokes. But then again, I'm almost 61 yrs old so I didn't really beat the odds, just sort of hit the odds. To track your golf improvement goals consider this...
Greens in regulation per round is the most important statistic in golf. To break 90, hit at least three or four greens in regulation. To break 80, hit eight or nine. To play with the big boys, hit 12 or more. Here's Big Walley's Rule: Double the number of greens you hit in regulation, and subtract the answer from 95. If you break 95, the result is probably within two strokes of your actual score.
The Foursome
by Troon McAllister
The Foursome
The Green
Scratch
Barranca
J. Michael Veron
The Greatest Course That Never Was
the Greatest Player Who Never Lived
The Caddie
Rick Reilly
Missing Links
Shanks for Nothing
Bob Mitchell
Match Made In Heaven
Philip Reed
In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing
James Patterson & Peter de Jong
Miracle on the 17th Green
Golf fiction’s finest hustler— Eddie Caminetti—returns in a laugh-out-loud novel featuring a foursome of upwardly mobile golf fanatics who get their just rewards. Mixing equal parts of suspense, hilarity, and raw human drama, Troon McAllister deftly shows readers what can happen when money, friendship, ambition, and greed converge explosively in a single round of golf.
______________
Match Made in Heaven
by Bob Mitchell
Siam Old Course - Site of last week's LPGA tournament.
Below are some more pictures of the Sabai Resort, where we plan to stay in 2010. Rooms are nice, the pool is great!
10 nights at the Sabai is aprox $580 (private poolside rooms pictured above)
Want to know your USGA handicap, for free? Here's a little program I created to do just that. Download the Hanidcapper (shown at the right) and take a look.
For a lot of additional trip details please click here.
