I guess Van de Velde didn't throw away the Open Championship on 18.
He still had a chance to win it.

How do you know this?

How can you not rationalize that players entering a playoff still have a chance to win?

When you "throw away" something you have no chance. if Van de Velde had made an 8 then he would have thrown his chances away.

It would be correct to say Mickelson threw away his US Open on 18 at Winged Foot, because he had no further chance of winning.

True. Callaway might have offered something less than $10 million more than Titleist. Or it's possible Mickelson would take the lesser offer.

I am sure you know more about him than I do.

What I know is that Titleist would have offered him something greater than zero.

I splurged and bought a Cobra ZL White Driver on Ebay for 50% more than retail.

leaving at 5am for second golf trip of winter, this time to orlando - my dad and i are staying at reunion resort and will play two rounds at reunion (palmer and nicklaus) and two rounds at disney (magnolia and palm) before returning sunday afternoon - cant wait to feel what 80 degrees and sunny is like again!

Why would you do that?

He will trade currency for 30 more minutes today to offset it.

I'm going to vote not Weir considering that Len Mattiace shot a 65 on the final day.

Playing a links style course this Saturday. Any suggestions as to how these courses differ from regular courses?

I like that there are very few trees and only a small amount of water, since I'm a very high handicapper. More sand bunkers, though I've gotten pretty good at getting out in 1 shot. I heard links bunkers are smaller and deeper though, which I have almost no practice with.

I don't think it'll be very windy, but if it is I guess you swing easier and try to keep the ball low?

Yeah, keeping the ball low in the wind is good, and planning your way around the bunkers is key. Don't be afraid to play shots on the ground too...if it is a true links course it should play fast and shots should have plenty of roll, which you can use to your advantage at times. I only have very limited links experience though

I think bad players (and a lot of good players) spend way too much time worrying about working the ball, in both curvature and trajectory. If I were you I wouldn't worry about the wind at all. Just focus on hitting it solid, and aim left/right take more/less club to deal with wind. No reason for someone who can't break 80 to try to knock something down.

Most links courses have larger than normal greens.
Gaining some confidence in long, lag putts could save you several shots.

Also, around the greens, leave the wedges in the bag and use a less lofted club when possible.

Went from ~ 2 feet of snow cover to a lot of bare ground over the last 2 days.

A driving range that has "heated bays" (lol) opened up yesterday. If it's 40 degrees and not blowing like a mother****er this weekend screw it ima go hit a bucket.

I was referring to Mattiace making a double-bogey and gifting Weir the green jacket by making a bogey on #10. I think that's a pretty big (and costly blow-up).

@CCx, mind sharing how much a trip like that costs for just lodging + golf?

+1 @ manbearpig's comment about players too obsessed with shot-making. It is something that a miniscule part of the golfing population needs to worry about... most should just focus on making solid and consistent contact.

agreed, and would add- learn how to pull the right club. It's amazing to me, in this day of gps and rangefinders, that many golfers are still absolutely clueless as to how far they average hitting a club.

And even the ones that have some idea will totally underestimate the effects of cooler weather, uphill, and wind.

well pulling the right club is also typically a function of consistent ball-striking, as with out it you're going to hit each stick a wide range of distances

True, but I'm talking about the players, and there are many, that hit a 7-iron 185 yds. once out of 10 times, but will hit 7-iron when they're 178 uphill on a cool day.
They have zero chance of ever having the right club, and are very often 2 clubs short of what they need.


edit to add that most players with a 12 or higher handicap, and many with lower handicap, would shoot lower scores if they always took the yardage to the back fringe and used the club they think would get them there.

Amateur's club-pulling decisions crack me up. The average golfer has absolutely zero course management and they remember that 170 yard 8-iron that they hit in the mountains that one time.

Don't forget it's critical to get your yardage to the exact yard... crucial to the club selection

Plenty of roll is good for me since I skull a lot of irons. lol.

Does this mean play more bump-and-run instead of flop shots? Yikes, I'm decent at flop shots but really don't ever use the bump-and-run. I need to work on that type of chip. On those bump shots say I grab a 4i, do I choke up about 4" and give it a putting stroke? In general, when these type shots would make sense for a scratch, I've been just putting, but I'd definitely like to practice this shot and work it into my game. Esp. if the green is huge and the pin is far away.

I'm decent at this, but need to get better. Bad golfers assume they're going to pure everything and are scared of going past the green. lol. I played recently in 40 degree weather with some wind and definitely noticed how much effect there was. It probably took me 6 holes to make a full adjustment. I was taking 2, sometimes 3 extra clubs. I hit a 9i from the tee box on a short par 3 and the ball landed in the water. Then I dropped to a 7i and it landed just short of the fringe. 6i would have been the right club there. Crazy.

I'll try to remember this if it's windy and/or cold tomorrow.

I'm going on a cruise next week and they always seem to play 1 movie over and over. One time it was The Devil Wears Prada (kinda liked this), once it was Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (pretty bad), and another it was Paul Blart: Mall Cop. (pretty bad).

This is a setting where I'll be forced to watch 1 movie in the small amount of time I will be in my room. Depending on what they show, I could have another entry for this thread next week.

I wouldn't say a putting stroke... that's better suited for a little chaser chip with a 3-wood or hybrid club.

Also, using something like a 7-9 iron is good practice for long-distance chips with lots of green to work with. It really reduces the room for error if you execute poor shot.

Hit a small bucket last night after work, as it was ~50 degrees at 7pm in NJ... Used the GF's pink 3wood, and surprisingly, my timing wasn't as off as i figured adn I was turning well on the ball.. need to get my clubs out of my old place and get out once a week if this weather keeps up.

Finally got out to the range, loved the brief 2 day heat wave we got in the North east. Surprised at how decent I hit it.