Re: Up & Down

Saaa-weeet!

Re: Up & Down

Hi Brian,

That is great. Congratulations.

It's something when it goes in without touching the green.

I had a hole in one the same way. I was entertaining our clients and was on expenses that day, so ran up a hefty bill that evening.

Ted

Re: Up & Down

Brian, you little magician you.

It baffles me how, when I play as often as I do, how much the spectacular happens to others, and how little it appears for me.

There was a guy I used to play with at another club who was in his mid-sixties, had a swing you could barely call a swing and an average short game at best and yet he was able to accumulate over 10 holes in one, probably averaging around 1-2 a year, and you've never seen a man putt like it when there was cash on it.

I've played with 28 'cappers that chip in from all over the place, single digiters that hole out from 150 yards, and there was even one that holed out from 240 for his second on a par 5 last year (made the local rag that did!) and yet the most spectacular thing I can think of for me was more than 3 years ago. The rest is "plod plod plod" the odd birdie offset by two bogies etc etc.

My games quite yawn-worthy, actually!

Maybe I'll become a little more cavalier in my approach and see what happens!

Although in terms of consistency I'm not too bad at all. I'm usually somewhere around my handicap even if I feel like I've played badly, so it's not all bad.

But I want a hole in one! I wanna hole from over 100 yards! I wanna hole a bunker shot (last time I did that was 4 years ago!), and I wanna slam-dunk it a la Brian!

Booooooooo!

Re: Up & Down

I completely sympathize. Been playing for 10 years off and on and steadily improved from infinity down to a current 12, and no hole in ones. These seem to be reserved to old ladies and young beginner children. It always seems to be accomplished using a topped 3 wood on a 110 yard par 3.
Your comment about the cavalier approach may be revealing. Like you, I mu scores have benfited from playing smart conservative golf. Not as many blowup holes but perhaps we are strategizing away from spectaculat results by playing to the center of greens and not necessarily to the hole.

Re: Up & Down

When hitting 35 yards over a large high faced bunker onto a narrow green below you with the hole just off the other edge of the bunker you don't have much choice of where to aim and you certainly want it to stop dead.

Re: Up & Down

Just so, so, Brian.

Playing yesterday, in the greenside bunker, completely thinned the shot.

Ball raced across the green like a startled rabbit, slammed into the pin, jumped up and softly dropped in .

Now THAT does demoralise your match play opponent

Re: Up & Down

I know exactly what you mean Neil, i've been playing for 10 years and the closest I've been to a hole in one was actually on a par 4, ball lipped out apparently, according to the group on the green!!!!

Re: Up & Down

hi Brian
good to know all the hard work you put in on your short game is paying off.
like Garry Player said, "the more i pratice the luckier i get!!!"
cheers
Bill

Re: Up & Down

When I was in my early thirties, one of my playing partners who was the same age, already had 3 holes in one. He did not have a paticularly good swing, he was a slicer and lost loads of distance. He would for instance on a 140 yard par 3 use what he called a choked down 3 iron. It would be a flared high slice which hit 10 yards short and trundle along the green.

Which brings up the point raised earlier, there's no picture, it's the result. I had the dunk hole in one and I also had an albatross on a long 5 par. I believe that these things are somewhat dependent on good fortune. The ball can be re-directed to the hole by pinballing from one bump or impediment to another, hitting off a bank 10 yards off the green directed to the hole, blown by an unexpected but fortuitous gust of wind, etc. Likewise, the ball could be heading dead in, and get thrown off line, or lip out.

Of course, the chances improve dramatically the more consistent you are in striking the ball in the right direction and distance. That's why good players are likely to have more hole outs and near hole outs than most casual golfers, and people like Faldo will have multiple hole outs.

Ted

Re: Up & Down

Thanks Bill.

I play 3 times mid-week these days and always turn up 45 minutes early then have some putting, chipping, pitching and driving practice before playing.

Now its brightening up will be getting in some week end games with my wife . I played a society game at a club called Kington two weeks ago, it is the highest course in England and a heathland course. It was blowing a gale which made playing a bit unpredictable to say the least, I guess you are used to that though in Scotland

Re: Up & Down

hi Brian
good to know your getting so much time to play and with the better weather starting to come in that biting cold wind should disappear soon.
we do get out share of gales up here but links golf you get use to the wind and learn to use it, i know Daviesec plays a lot of links golf down the north east of England and with his low handicap he must be a really good wind player.
i do love links golf with all the challenges the weather throws up at you and i have even played in snow once using the sand rakes turned up the wrong way to clear a line to putt.
also the New Years day golf outing using hickory shafted clubs is a very special day and lots of fun even in the rain and sometimes light snow.
if you think in the right frame of mind then playing in rain or wind makes it like playing a diffrent course with diffrent challenges.
that one good hole in a round keeps you coming back for more.
cheers
bill