applause and embarrassment

Just wondering if this strikes a chord with anyone?

Playing today I put my third at the first of the Par 5s into the (on this course, sandless) greenside bunker. Cursing myself for messing up the approach I decide that I need to play a chip rather than a "proper bunker shot" and thin it badly. Across the green, hit the pin and drop

A two ball walking behind the green only see me in the bunker and the ball dropping - "great shot mate" etc.

Oh to hell with it, blushing slightly I took the plaudits - for the worst bunker shot and best result for ages.

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I firmly believe that we should try to experience all that life affords, except, perhaps, bestiality and of course Morris Dancing.

Ha,

Should have been a casual nod and a line: just shows sometimes you need to play a little chip and roll out of these tough bunkers, does wonders for you confidence.

P.S you should have played the bunker shot, you messed up because you were going against your first thoughts.


At least it went in.

Ian.

Interesting pyschological / mental golf question there Ian.

I think the chip and roll was the right shot to play under the circumstances but yes, I saw the ball land in the sand and as I walked to the green I was thinking about splashing it out.

So should I have played my first instinct? or should I have played the chip?

I think that what I needed to do was dismiss my first thoughts and commit to the Plan B; or perhaps better I should have looked at the winter butterflies and waited until I reached the bunker to make my shot assessment.

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I firmly believe that we should try to experience all that life affords, except, perhaps, bestiality and of course Morris Dancing.

Third one right mate,

Never decide what your doing until you get there, same never curse a bad shot, how many times have you done that then get there with a great lie and line and find the green easy............................if you loose your composure after a shot chances are the next one has had it.

Back to the bunker, play what ever shot you want but make that decision when you get there and see to lie etc, also stand outside the bunker and have a few practice swings to convince yourself of the plan, then when in the bunker have a few rehearsals too, then flick the switch and go.

How many tour player do you see messing about of what appears to be a simple chip, you must get yourself ready to play, bear in mind we all mess up and it not the end of the world, certainly not in your case take the luck and plough on.

Hope this helps

Ian.

Also I have never achieved a round in under 3.5 hours...........although some of the speed merchants at my club can't wait to get back in the clubhouse.........but that for another thread.

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Once you learn the swing, your next step is mastering golf psychology................

"Also I have never achieved a round in under 3.5 hours".........

My record? Set a year ago: 2 hours 39 mins for a full 18 holes on twilight as a 2 ball!

Wow

You would be Captain at our club with that sort of speed, you would go down a storm with the old guys who turn up, tee off and hit 100yds+ and go around the course without even stopping to hit shots, I am sure they hit while thay are walking.

I love em, of course we let them through everytime as they are in a rush.


A little tut and through they come.


Wonderful Gentelmen...!!!

I wish my Mrs was as impressed with speed as you are.............

We did have the benefit of a completely clear course and were both playing some decent golf. A lot of the shots even went further than 100 yards

Neil,

Sarcasim I'm afraid, in my answer to the bunker shot I was making a point that you need to take your time and think the shot through, convince yourself that 'this' is the right shot.

I have a personal problem with people who complain of slow play, if you haven't got 4.5 hours spare for a decent game of golf then don't turn up, why turn up and complain and rush around?

Yours was a special circumstance and a very quick game.

Ian.

Ian,

Totally agree with you mate.

I can't stand being rushed around a course. I have had arguments on tees before about being rushed from behind (oo er!).

If you want to play a quick sport, don't play golf!

Thoroughly agree with planning each shot when you get there and not before, unless it's a putt maybe. If you know the green or can see the pitch of the surface from a distance you can almost start sizing your putt up from 100 yards away.

The hard part is rehearsing exactly the shot you want then letting it go and just having a swing. Chipping it out of a bunker with little sand is a smart play bdbl. It must be. It went in! You meant to thin it in!

The human body is a marvellous thing.

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Luke: I don't believe it!
Yoda: That is why you fail.

There are two sides to everything though Ian, I agree with the first comment about taking the time to think and to commit.

On the other hand I'd argue that if the average four ball can't complete a round in 15 minutes or so either side of 4:15 depending on the difficulty of the course, the importance of the competition and their mix of abilities then there is something awry [our four ball of 2 "twenty somethings", 1 "sixteen" and and one "single digit" player did the East Course in 4:20 on our last visit without feeling we were either being rushed or rushing someone else] either with the way they are playing or, as is often the case on our local play & plays, the course is too crowded because the club is greedy.

Slow play annoys me, so I'm probably the kind of person that annoys you ; to be fair I wouldn't complain at 4:30 but once you start thinking as that as the norm rather than the max then it creeps to five hours and beyond.

Five plus hours is unacceptable imo because saying "I'm willing to spare 5:30 for my round of golf" is one thing but effectively insisting that everyone else does too is another.

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I firmly believe that we should try to experience all that life affords, except, perhaps, bestiality and of course Morris Dancing.

At my home club the round takes between 3.5 and 4 hours
me and a work colleagues did a full round at heaton park a couple of weeks back in 2 hours 33 mins

You little show off!

Seems to me, play has generally become slower. When I first took up the game many years ago, I would play regularly with my dad. We would easily get round in three hours. Everybody was about the same at that time; it wasn't as if we were always pressuring the players in front, everybody went at about that speed.

What I see now are a lot of players who are, in all honesty, pretty average, playing as if they're in the Open. Now, I've no problem with people taking legitimate time over shots but when I see the guys ahead examining putts from all different angles, often several times over (every putt, no matter how long or short), I do get a bit peeved. Even more so when they've spent a good three minutes 'looking at' a 20 footer and they still miss by an absolute mile. Then after them standing and shaking their heads in diebelief, looking at the green and the putter, you get a repeat performance for their remaining 8 footer!