Golf

S

Sbooker

Well-known member
At the very least I know @jamesdeluxe is a golfer. I have recently taken it back up after a 30 year break. I now have a less hectic schedule which will give the time to play.

Anyway I’m in the process of lessons and buying gear so I’ve stumbled on these guys while looking through YouTube.
They have a BBQ store and golf store in Denver apparently. Interesting combo. They are not great golfers and test the gear themselves which make for pretty real and entertaining reviews.
On one of the vids they mentioned that the ball travels about 10% further at 5000 plus feet elevation. Blindingly obvious of course that it would go further but it just never occurred to me as I have only played at sea level.
I know James would have played at elevation from his time in Colorado. Can you golfing folk back up the 10% further at altitude suggestion?
 
I'm a hacker (not a great player), but try to play at least nine holes weekly when back at near sea level in the Mid-Atlantic in summer/fall. I've only played once at elevation (it was in Utah at approx 4500' elevation). 10% is a fair estimation of what distance that elevation will add to your shots. I distinctly remember once during that Utah round when I wowed myself and hit a five iron for about 30 extra yards, which is more like 20% of normal, but that was an exceptionally solid shot. Among many problems us hackers have is that we don't always hit the same club, the same distance. ;)
 
jimk said:
I'm a hacker (not a great player), but try to play at least nine holes weekly when back at near sea level in the Mid-Atlantic in summer/fall. I've only played once at elevation (it was in Utah at approx 4500' elevation). 10% is a fair estimation of what distance that elevation will add to your shots. I distinctly remember once during that Utah round when I wowed myself and hit a five iron for about 30 extra yards, which is more like 20% of normal, but that was an exceptionally solid shot. Among many problems us hackers have is that we don't always hit the same club, the same distance. ;)
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I too am a hacker of sorts Jim. When I was playing regularly as a twenty year old I could very occasionally break 80 but mostly had rounds in the mid to high 80s.

My first round back a few weeks ago I had 98. The second round last week I had 92. I hope to be around 85 by the end of the year.
 
Sbooker said:
I too am a hacker of sorts Jim. When I was playing regularly as a twenty year old I could very occasionally break 80 but mostly had rounds in the mid to high 80s.

My first round back a few weeks ago I had 98. The second round last week I had 92. I hope to be around 85 by the end of the year.
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Thats great playing
I also have gotten back into it
I’m consistently inconsistent
 
Sbooker said:
recently taken it back up after a 30 year break
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Now that's a break. My full break was only about 15 years. But I also had a stretch of another almost 10 years where I only did one or two charity golf events per year.

Just restarted 2 years ago and have only managed a small handful of driving range and rounds per year. My game is both short (my good hits are less long than most people) and inconsistent.

I bought a new set of Strava clubs for like $700 total and have only upgraded the putter so far. I have little need for multi-hundred dollar individual clubs like the video, lol.
 
EMSC said:
Now that's a break. My full break was only about 15 years. But I also had a stretch of another almost 10 years where I only did one or two charity golf events per year.

Just restarted 2 years ago and have only managed a small handful of driving range and rounds per year. My game is both short (my good hits are less long than most people) and inconsistent.

I bought a new set of Strava clubs for like $700 total and have only upgraded the putter so far. I have little need for multi-hundred dollar individual clubs like the video, lol.
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I am really short (about 5'7'') and only slight at about 155 pounds. I don't have the swing arch to hit it long so I too don't get a lot of distance. I hit my driver about 230/240 yards. I hit my seven iron about 150 yards. Those numbers are if I hit it well which is about half of the time. I can produce something diabolical occasionally which sees the ball dribble 30 yards in front of me........
I too have little need for multi-hundred dollar individual clubs but just like I have little need for multiple sets of decent skis and bindings* that didn't stop me from having a relative splurge. I justified the extravagance by telling myself it is a one off purchase of an item that I will be using in 20 years. My set including bag cost about 1350USD. Flash brand name stuff but last years models which saves about 40%.

*Unlike most on here that have skied most of their life and have easy access to skiing I am a frustrated permanent intermediate and wannabe gun skier.
 
I've played golf since my mother took me to a driving range at age ten. I don't have much talent so my ceiling is low, but still I enjoy the game because I'm capable of maybe one good shot every hole, but only one :-). My mom took up golf at about age 40 and brought me with her. My dad enjoyed the game too, but in relative terms he wasn't as good as my mom. She could still break 90 at age 70, and played 200 days per year in her 50s and 60s.
I was an 18 handicap for a few years in my 20s. That was as good as I ever got and it was all downhill after that. I've never maintained a handicap since then. With marriage and four kids, I played golf about three times per year for 30 years. I started playing about 20 rounds per year in 2015. I still suck and I usually barely break 100 on a full size course. I am a very short hitter and drive no longer than about 225 yrds. If I break 90 it's a very good day. I do most of my playing at a nine hole municipal course near my house that is cheap (~$15, and easy to walk - 2500 yards). There are a lot of old timers that play there, people between 70 and 90, so I fit right in.
Also, my entire set of Orlimar golf clubs including bag that I bought new ten years ago cost under $300. A couple years ago I broke the driver and paid 100+ for a single new driver shaft. Still these cheap clubs were light years better than the cheap 1980s clubs I played with before. I might get some new, fitted clubs next year, but I've been saying that for about four years now :)
 
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I’m not great at this game. I hate it. Yes, I have some golf clubs.

Put me on a mountain - I get it.

Zero skills at golf.
 
ChrisC said:
I’m not great at this game. I hate it. Yes, I have some golf clubs.

Put me on a mountain - I get it.

Zero skills at golf.
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I have very little skills in either area but they are both nice places to be. But yeah - I’ll take the mountain over the golf course if I have to choose.
 
jamesdeluxe said:
Until the pandemic, it never occurred to me to write trip reports of golf rounds. I only do it if the course has some sort of unique appeal, visual or otherwise. If interested, here's a sampling of the ones I've posted on the NY Ski Forum:
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Fantastic stuff James. Obviously I’ve never seen that kind of golf course scenery in person. If you have more pics like that I’d love to see them.

We had a public holiday in our region for the Ekka (Ekka being Aussie short slang for Exhibition). All the country people descend on Brisbane to show their livestock etc. The Showies (you call them Carni folk I believe) bring their Tilt-a-whirls and other poorly maintained side show rides too. Anyway I digress….

I worked in the morning and played at Wantima, a local course yesterday afternoon. No great scenery but still a nice place to be on a perfect late winter’s arvo.

There were a few moments of elation and a few of despair and plenty in between.
IMG_2962.jpeg
 
I was good at miniature golf as a kid; that translates to putting. My parents dabbled at pitch-and-putt courses (par 3, 100 yard holes) when I was in high school. I got so I could play those at one over par per hole average and occasionally a little better. But on real courses late in college and after I got out (playing maybe 5x a year) I was clueless trying to hit for any distance. It became evident that I would have to take lessons and devote more time to make progress.

By then it was the late 1970's when I had started to ski. After my 30 day breakthrough 1978-79 ski season, that was the end of golf. And it still makes a good story that the last time I touched a golf club in 1978 was at Pebble Beach. After few holes I knew I had to hit from the ladies' tees the rest of the way or I would run out of golf balls. I still hacked my way to something like 130. :icon-lol: And it was late September with perfect weather (not what you usually see on TV during the February PGA events) so no excuses.
 
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Tony Crocker said:
I was good at miniature golf as a kid; that translates to putting. My parents dabbled at pitch-and-putt courses (par 3, 100 yard holes) when I was in high school. I got so I could play those at one over par per hole average and occasionally a little better. But on real courses late in college and after I got out (playing maybe 5x a year) I was clueless trying to hit for any distance. It became evident that I would have to take lessons and devote more time to make progress.

By then it was the late 1970's when I had started to ski. After my 30 day breakthrough 1978-79 ski season, that was the end of golf. And it still makes a good story that the last time I touched a golf club in 1978 was at Pebble Beach. After few holes I knew I had to hit from the ladies' tees the rest of the way or I would run out of golf balls. I still hacked my way to something like 130. :icon-lol: And it was late September with perfect weather (not what you usually see on TV during the February PGA events) so no excuses.
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In the past you've spoken of skiing being a factor in your divorce. Now we learn that your first marriage was not the only victim of your skiing passion.
 
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