Ryder Cup

[Palfy]

4 minutes ago, hafnia said:

I predicted a European win.  A lad I know is a caddy on the tour - said it was gonna pan out like we've seen up to now. That course is a nightmare if you can't hit fairways and too many of those players are bombers who hit it into crowds over in the U.S week after week and still make birdie.  That's what it will be like in 2 years.   100 yard wide fairways near 8000 yard course....  brother got the score right and molinari top points earner. Earned some £££

Weren’t you surprised by how not together as a team the yanks were there was no fight in them what so ever, in a lot of ways there own dour negativity helped to their downfall, supporters wouldn’t put up with that lack of passion and effort here is that what’s excepted In the USA. 

Lovely looking course and as you said very tight one of those courses where you need to plot your way round, your right it will be very different next time round but based on this win I think we can retain it.

Good on your brother mate can’t begin to think what his odds were but must have been massive spank the bookies nice to see. 

[Hafnia]

3 hours ago, Palfy said:

Weren’t you surprised by how not together as a team the yanks were there was no fight in them what so ever, in a lot of ways there own dour negativity helped to their downfall, supporters wouldn’t put up with that lack of passion and effort here is that what’s excepted In the USA. 

Lovely looking course and as you said very tight one of those courses where you need to plot your way round, your right it will be very different next time round but based on this win I think we can retain it.

Good on your brother mate can’t begin to think what his odds were but must have been massive spank the bookies nice to see. 

The yanks have players like Reed, Woods, Mickleson who aren't team players .... mickleson is far from this super nice guy he makes himself out to be. He threw Tom Watson under the bus 4 years ago.  

I think brother got 40/1.... not bad. 

[Bailey]

22 hours ago, hafnia said:

The yanks have players like Reed, Woods, Mickleson who aren't team players .... mickleson is far from this super nice guy he makes himself out to be. He threw Tom Watson under the bus 4 years ago.  

I think brother got 40/1.... not bad. 

Reed has been one of their best Ryder Cup players prior to this weekend so his case is slightly different. 

I feel a little for Furyk. He couldnt not pick Woods due to his form although he could have left Mickleson at home but neither are great Ryder Cup players whereas the old boys Bjorn brought in are tried and trusted Ryder Cup stalwarts. You could argue that Poulter and Garcia save their best golf for the competition. 

[Palfy]

50 minutes ago, Bailey said:

Reed has been one of their best Ryder Cup players prior to this weekend so his case is slightly different. 

I feel a little for Furyk. He couldnt not pick Woods due to his form although he could have left Mickleson at home but neither are great Ryder Cup players whereas the old boys Bjorn brought in are tried and trusted Ryder Cup stalwarts. You could argue that Poulter and Garcia save their best golf for the competition. 

As in football the Ryder cup is a team game on world rankings the Yanks should have won, but they aren't a team there players are more about themselves than the team, were the Europeans are more for the team.

[MikeO]

On 01/10/2018 at 19:37, hafnia said:

That course is a nightmare if you can't hit fairways and too many of those players are bombers who hit it into crowds over in the U.S week after week and still make birdie.  That's what it will be like in 2 years.   100 yard wide fairways near 8000 yard course

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/45785202

[johnh]

On 01/10/2018 at 19:37, hafnia said:

I predicted a European win.  A lad I know is a caddy on the tour - said it was gonna pan out like we've seen up to now. That course is a nightmare if you can't hit fairways and too many of those players are bombers who hit it into crowds over in the U.S week after week and still make birdie.  That's what it will be like in 2 years.   100 yard wide fairways near 8000 yard course....  brother got the score right and molinari top points earner. Earned some £££

I saw a Youtube video recently covering a 'long driving' competition in the US of A.  The winner hit it 496 yards.   -   The future?   What Mickleson  is saying, of course, is that he only wants to play on courses that he can win on.  He should have a word with Lee Trevino who could change his game to suit any challenging course.

[Hafnia]

15 minutes ago, MikeO said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/45785202

Boo hoo... I'd love for Tom Watson to come out and throw mickleson under the bus like mickleson did to Watson.

[markjazzbassist]

22 minutes ago, johnh said:

I saw a Youtube video recently covering a 'long driving' competition in the US of A.  The winner hit it 496 yards.   -   The future?   What Mickleson  is saying, of course, is that he only wants to play on courses that he can win on.  He should have a word with Lee Trevino who could change his game to suit any challenging course.

i can't stand mickelson and woods.  they need to go to the senior circuit already, just get rid of them.  let the young guys have a guy.  that rickie fowler guy seems like a decent guy.

[Hafnia]

20 minutes ago, johnh said:

I saw a Youtube video recently covering a 'long driving' competition in the US of A.  The winner hit it 496 yards.   -   The future?   What Mickleson  is saying, of course, is that he only wants to play on courses that he can win on.  He should have a word with Lee Trevino who could change his game to suit any challenging course.

In the US the college players need to be 320 yard bombers.  All very false. 

I can really leather a ball... 112+ mph driver speed and can hit most par 5s in 2 at club level.  But I'm a 15 handicap cos I'm not good at key parts.... shot shaping, shot making and 100 yards in. That's proper golf. 

[markjazzbassist]

5 minutes ago, hafnia said:

In the US the college players need to be 320 yard bombers.  All very false. 

I can really leather a ball... 112+ mph driver speed and can hit most par 5s in 2 at club level.  But I'm a 15 handicap cos I'm not good at key parts.... shot shaping, shot making and 100 yards in. That's proper golf. 

i played a lot growing up, my dad plays, etc.  the short game is THE game when it comes to golf.  you are spot on.  anyone can go buy some big ass driver and smash the thing.  9 iron, wedges, and putter is where the real players set themselves apart.

[MikeO]

26 minutes ago, hafnia said:

I can really leather a ball... 112+ mph driver speed and can hit most par 5s in 2 at club level.  But I'm a 15 handicap cos I'm not good at key parts.... shot shaping, shot making and 100 yards in. That's proper golf. 

I was the opposite when I played, I don't think I ever hit a half decent shot with a wood in my life, close in I was much better although I went through a nasty "yips" phase at one point.

[markjazzbassist]

2 minutes ago, MikeO said:

I was the opposite when I played, I don't think I ever hit a half decent shot with a wood in my life, close in I was much better although I went through a nasty "yips" phase at one point.

mike i was horrible with the woods too, couldn't hit it straight, so i removed them all.  just irons, wedges, and a putter.  friends would laugh but i was always in the fairway and wasn't slicing it.

[MikeO]

1 minute ago, markjazzbassist said:

mike i was horrible with the woods too, couldn't hit it straight, so i removed them all.  just irons, wedges, and a putter.  friends would laugh but i was always in the fairway and wasn't slicing it.

Likewise, binned them in the end.

[Hafnia]

I've played since I was a kid. For a little kid I was a prodigious hitter.... I drove the 8th hole at brackenwood  (a 300 yard par 4) with a ladies 3 wood.  Steel head. Bone dry fairway ... down hill....  two blokes were putting out and couldn't believe this skinny little runt walking on for an eagle putt.

I really should have gone into lessons properly at that time. I was about 13 years old. Instead I just carried on doing my own thing.  I had my own swing then in my 20's I had my first lessons.... messed me up.

I'm probably only just getting somewhere with my game now.   So many good golfers out there it's untrue. My believe is that it's easy to get good at hitting it far.... well for me it is. I just don't have a good feel. 

[johnh]

I hit my driver with a  high cut fade (more or less every time) put a lot of side spin on the ball which reduced distance.  My best was about 220 yards but more often than not 200 yards. Couldn't  hit fairway woods to save my life.  The upside was that I hit my irons the same which meant I was very accurate and could stop the ball on the green.  I carried a one iron which I could hit off the grass almost as far as my driver.  Hardly ever missed the green with a seven iron or less and was a fairly good putter.  Got down to 10 but my lack of distance off the tee stopped me getting into single figures.  

[MikeO]

1 hour ago, johnh said:

Hardly ever missed the green with a seven iron

Seven iron was my "go to" club if I was playing badly, it was a very old hickory shafted one that I always carried along with my dad's Petron Impala set (never had my own). When things were bad I always went for it, even if I was teeing off on a par five because I knew 49 times out of 50 it'd put me a decent distance down the hole and restore some confidence. I actually struggled with anything longer than a 4 iron; was never a member anywhere so never had a handicap and in all honesty I was probably never good enough to get anything under 20. Loved it though, it just gives you moments of magic to keep coming back; once holed a putt on the 18th somewhere from Terry Wogan distance while several members had stopped behind the green on their way to the 1st and got spontaneous applause while I sauntered up like it was commonplace. Probably went round in 98 but they didn't know that.

[johnh]

7 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Seven iron was my "go to" club if I was playing badly, it was a very old hickory shafted one that I always carried along with my dad's Petron Impala set (never had my own). When things were bad I always went for it, even if I was teeing off on a par five because I knew 49 times out of 50 it'd put me a decent distance down the hole and restore some confidence. I actually struggled with anything longer than a 4 iron; was never a member anywhere so never had a handicap and in all honesty I was probably never good enough to get anything under 20. Loved it though, it just gives you moments of magic to keep coming back; once holed a putt on the 18th somewhere from Terry Wogan distance while several members had stopped behind the green on their way to the 1st and got spontaneous applause while I sauntered up like it was commonplace. Probably went round in 98 but they didn't know that.

My best shot (and the only people to witness it were the guys I was playing with) was at the  Belfry on the 18th.  You drive over water and then your second shot is over water. I hit a good solid drive but (unlike me) I pulled it a bit.  This meant I had to carry about an extra 20 yards or so of water.  My ball hit the far bank and plopped back into the water.   There was a dropping point about 50 yards from the tee but the grass was three or four inches deep so could only hit a nine iron across the water.  This left me about 200 yards from the green.  I hit the sweetest one iron I have ever hit.  Never felt it come off the club face.  The ball never left the pin.  I repaired the pitch mark 3 feet short of the pin and my ball was 3 feet past the pin.  I sunk the put for a birdie (with my second ball) but a 5 net 4 for 2 points.  Wish I had a video of it.

[MikeO]

2 minutes ago, johnh said:

Never felt it come off the club face.

It's that feeling that keeps you going back isn'tt it? Well it would be if I could play anymore.

[johnh]

2 minutes ago, MikeO said:

It's that feeling that keeps you going back isn'ttt it? Well it would be if I could play anymore.

You and me both Mike.   Though I am playing snooker on Wednesday, practising for the new season!