Forest Greens - Your Source for Father's Day Follies
This round was brought to you by fathers everywhere, especially mine (RIP). It was also brought to you in small part by Martin Kaymer, who made the US Open very non-competitive with his thrashing of the field. Another round with the ultra-long hitting head case known as Clint. His children didn't take him out to play golf, so I took it upon myself as a good golf buddy to do take on that responsibility. Good to get out and watch him crush a drive 50 yards past my best effort. But still managing to beat him in the all important stat of balls not lost :).
Date: Sunday 6/15/2014
Location: Forest Greens, Triangle, VA
Score: 85
Excuses: Swing Change (Round #3), Slow Play...
Course Conditions: Not bad. Greens were in pretty good condition, but the greens on the course rolled WAY slower than the practice greens. Fairways were hit or miss (no pun intended), the rough was extremely penal and the pin positions were set at the US Open configuration (to prepare for a tournament they were having the next day).
The Good: Drove the ball well, 9 greens in regulation, one solid birdie
The Bad: 36 putts including four 3-Jacks, hitting two short shots out of bounds
The Ugly: One of the people who we were paired up hacking the ball up to the tune of an estimated 200... Not a misprint, Two Hundred Strokes!
I knew when I showed up to the course and all of the carts were gone, I knew it was going to be a slow day. On a 3:00PM tee time, we actually started at 3:30PM. I've endured worse. Of course worse described the father in the father-son team we were paired up with. The son turned out to be a credible player with some decent skills. The father played like he had not touched a club in 20 years, but wasn't a great golfer then. On a typical hole he would hit a couple of balls out of bounds until he got one in play, then he would proceed with rugged determination to get the ball to the green, and in the process, sacrifice more balls to the almighty rough, tall grass, water, dense forests, and other hazards. Me and Clint estimated (because we're both cost estimators) this guy took over 15 or so strokes per hole (counting lost balls). Every now and then he would hit a good shot and not cost himself a ball. And even when he got on the green, he would putt until the ball went into the hole, whether it took two or five.
Had this man picked up when he reached double par and just enjoyed the beautiful day, he would have settled in at a respectable 144 (72 strokes over par). Instead he donated approximately 30 balls to the course and ended up extending our round by at least 30-45 minutes.
It's one of those things, I get it, you want to spend time with your son. But you don't want to embarrass your son and yourself by playing horribly and decreasing the enjoyment of the other players in your foursome. I appreciate the determination and fortitude of wanting to finish the hole. But considering if you actually keep score and a handicap, after the equitable stroke adjustment, the worst you could possibly do is double par. Therefore you might as well pick up after you lose more than two balls on a hole. And if you want to keep yourself occupied, drop a ball on the green and practice your putting while everyone else (who's still in the hole) putts out. Or if you want to be a good sport, why don't you grab the flag when everyone's on the green, and buy the first round of drinks when the beverage cart rolls around.
I always say, I'd always rather golf with a good person rather than a good player, but if you're both, I'll golf with you anytime. I don't care if you're a bad player, if you do it quickly and keep the pace, then you're cool by me. Hopefully this guy get some (PGA) professional help before he sets foot on a golf course again. Until the next round: Back to the RANGE, PRACTICE GREEN, and the GYM!
Next Stop: Augustine Golf Club
Date: Sunday 6/15/2014
Location: Forest Greens, Triangle, VA
Score: 85
Excuses: Swing Change (Round #3), Slow Play...
Course Conditions: Not bad. Greens were in pretty good condition, but the greens on the course rolled WAY slower than the practice greens. Fairways were hit or miss (no pun intended), the rough was extremely penal and the pin positions were set at the US Open configuration (to prepare for a tournament they were having the next day).
The Good: Drove the ball well, 9 greens in regulation, one solid birdie
The Bad: 36 putts including four 3-Jacks, hitting two short shots out of bounds
The Ugly: One of the people who we were paired up hacking the ball up to the tune of an estimated 200... Not a misprint, Two Hundred Strokes!
I knew when I showed up to the course and all of the carts were gone, I knew it was going to be a slow day. On a 3:00PM tee time, we actually started at 3:30PM. I've endured worse. Of course worse described the father in the father-son team we were paired up with. The son turned out to be a credible player with some decent skills. The father played like he had not touched a club in 20 years, but wasn't a great golfer then. On a typical hole he would hit a couple of balls out of bounds until he got one in play, then he would proceed with rugged determination to get the ball to the green, and in the process, sacrifice more balls to the almighty rough, tall grass, water, dense forests, and other hazards. Me and Clint estimated (because we're both cost estimators) this guy took over 15 or so strokes per hole (counting lost balls). Every now and then he would hit a good shot and not cost himself a ball. And even when he got on the green, he would putt until the ball went into the hole, whether it took two or five.
Had this man picked up when he reached double par and just enjoyed the beautiful day, he would have settled in at a respectable 144 (72 strokes over par). Instead he donated approximately 30 balls to the course and ended up extending our round by at least 30-45 minutes.
It's one of those things, I get it, you want to spend time with your son. But you don't want to embarrass your son and yourself by playing horribly and decreasing the enjoyment of the other players in your foursome. I appreciate the determination and fortitude of wanting to finish the hole. But considering if you actually keep score and a handicap, after the equitable stroke adjustment, the worst you could possibly do is double par. Therefore you might as well pick up after you lose more than two balls on a hole. And if you want to keep yourself occupied, drop a ball on the green and practice your putting while everyone else (who's still in the hole) putts out. Or if you want to be a good sport, why don't you grab the flag when everyone's on the green, and buy the first round of drinks when the beverage cart rolls around.
I always say, I'd always rather golf with a good person rather than a good player, but if you're both, I'll golf with you anytime. I don't care if you're a bad player, if you do it quickly and keep the pace, then you're cool by me. Hopefully this guy get some (PGA) professional help before he sets foot on a golf course again. Until the next round: Back to the RANGE, PRACTICE GREEN, and the GYM!
Next Stop: Augustine Golf Club
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