My buddies and I gamble on Tiger on XBL and it's pretty common for us to do these things. They may appear 'dickish' but my friends all understand that we want to kick each others' asses as much as possible and win each other's money/make the most +EV decisions.

If your friends can't understand or have a problem with this, then they are probably the wrong types of people to be gambling with.

Less can go wrong yes, meaning you prob won't miss the green ever whereas if you flop it up there, on occasion you will skull it over the green or chunk it short of the green, that is why you hear pros telling amateurs to get the ball on the ground as soon as you can because it's the safer shot. However a "good" shot is going to be closer to the hole on average if you flopped it up there compared to bump and running it.

He's talking about Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf the video game.

I must be missing something... BTW: Nothing wrong with tanking a hole amongst friends when everyone is playing the same game...

I understand how tanking a hole gives someone else a skin instead of a tie... but exactly how would that benefit you? I am sure it is obvious but I am just missing it...

What kind of weird 286-yd par 4 is this? http://blog.sfgate.com/sportsevents/...n-par-4/?tsp=1

You're winning by 3 skins on the third last hole. The previous hole was tied and 2nd place ****ed up so he can't win/draw this hole. Both you and last place are 3 feet from the hole.

If you both make the putt it gives 2nd place an opportunity to catch you by winning all the skins on the next hole. If you miss the gimme and last place makes it, you are a lock to win the game since 2nd place can only get 2 skins, not the 4 possible if it was a push.

What's so weird about it?

Aren't par-4s on the tour usually not that easy to reach in 1?

Driveable par 4's are a growing trend. I would say on Tour this year 2 out of 3 events had one reachable 4 everyday, or at least moved the tees up to make it reachable for one of the days.

So basically at $1 a skin you limited your upside to an additional $2 on 17 & 18 by giving away 16.. but also eliminated any chance that you lose money or push for the round....

Controllling your losses: or protecting your gains depending upon what kind of poker player you are...

And if you make it and last place misses his put you are up 9 skins w/ 2 holes to play.

Still think it would be a bad idea to miss in this case.

Amazing that there's still only been one ace in the history of the tour then. Even more amazing is how it happened (maybe you guys all know this, but as a casual fan, I didn't):

http://www.pgatour.com/2007/r/01/29/...ory/index.html

Assuming player 3 can't come back and break even (he has 2 or less skins since 15 are up for grabs). For the following info I assumed the skin break down is 20-17-2 right now. I also made the assumption that the 3 players actual average advantage is = to their current skin distribution. Also I assumed we make our 3' put 90% of the time and player 3 makes their 3' put 85% of the time.

Our EV for trying to win the 15th hole is our current 20 skins + 7.82 skins.
Our EV for trying to tie the hole is our current 20 skins + 7.69 skins.
Our EV for trying to lose the hole is our current 20 skins + 4.62 skins.

Anyone know how to copy and past an excel spreadsheet so I can show work?

Yeah, I just made up the numbers and didn't think about it. I wasn't even sure if there was only 3 players. Lol lazy. I was also assuming the "winner" was the one with the most skins, and they would win some lump of cash, not just $/skin.

A better situation would be if last place was 1" from the hole and you were 3' making it 99% chance he would make the putt.

Just came here to brag a little. I played Phila. Cricket Club Tuesday, I'm playing AC Country Club tomorrow, and I'm going to Pine Valley to watch an amateur tourney on Sunday. Total cost to me: $0. Gotta love work outings.

Played a shot from about 205 yds to a visible flag, but with a small valley in front of the green. Ball heads straight for the flag, but falls short of the green in that valley. I don't see it but I'm 100% sure where it is. I drive up to the green, but my ball has disappeared.

Do you think I'm paranoid, or has the same happened to anyone here? There were two guys mowing the grass near that green where I'm certain my shot landed. Is it possible, that for whatever reason, one of them decided to pocket my ball and project an innocent expression when asked about it? Could my shot have landed near, or possibly hit one of them, angering them enough to steal my ball?

Also, a few holes prior to this, a ranger came around asking us (2some) to speed up our pace. We were just about to tee off the 9th, and we were 2 hrs 5 minutes into our round (requested pace of play :4 1/2 hrs). Seemed like right on pace to us. Which makes possible the outside chance that the guys behind us had some influence with the management, who possibly relayed something to the grounds crew, who decided to mess with us.

Also, this is the same course that had those a**holes hit into us while we were 200 yards out (I posted that a few pages ago).

I probably won't be playing this course again.

2hrs 5minutes to play 8 holes as a TWOSOME is horrendously slow

And what really matters is whether you have lost touch with the group ahead of you.

Thanks, but I was more interested in what you people thought about the possibility of a worker stealing a ball.

And why is 2 hr 5 min horrendously slow? It seems to be right on pace for a 4.5 hr round.

I actually take the time to put my ball in the hole, as per the rules. Not just putt once from 50 feet, miss, and simply scoop up the ball with the putter like all these hotshot cigar-smoking recreational execs seem to do. I actually like to enjoy my $40+ rounds of golf.

Not likely they stole a ball... the management influence angle doesn't have a glimmer of a chance either.... at a private club members look at management as staff and at public facilities management and staff look at customers as a intruders. Rangers are driving around for free golf and to get out of the house ...

Drop the conspiracy theories, likely your ball was right where you hit it, either took a bounce tall grass or you misjudged your line. Probably the group behind you picked it up as a souvenir.

What do they call it when the simple solution is usually correct... something theory?

4.5 hours is the maximum it should take for a foursome. You were playing as a twosome.

But who cares about how long it takes you to finish. Play as slow as you like as long as you do one of the following two things:
1) keep up with the group in front of you, or
2) let faster groups behind you play through.

yea, i forgot to mention that most skins wins all the money.

No one stole your golf ball, especially not a worker because they are working.

But if you read again my first response you'll get an answer to why the marshall talked to you. Whether you were playing slow as measured against some number is irrelevant.

I have never ever heard of a marshall talking to a group to speed up play while they were standing on the teebox waiting for the group ahead to play their shots.

Yeah a 4.5 hour round for a foursome assumes a lot of waiting on the group in front of you. You really need to speed the **** up. I can't fathom what you are actually doing for the 2+ hours it took you to play 8 holes. I am pretty sure I could play 8 holes with a buddy hopping the whole way on one foot and be under 2hrs 5min.

And no one stole you ball. Was it wet? Most likely answer is it plugged somewhere. Sometimes good seemingly safe shots end up lost. Probably the most frustrating that happens to me on the course other than shanking a shot or the wind blowing the ball after I address a putt. As someone smartly put it on this forum not too long ago, one of the lessons golf teaches you is that life isn't always fair.

anyone practice chipping one handed? I think my right hand only chipping could beat the std method.

from a technical standpoint, I think a couple things are happening. my tempo is much better and I actually release the club/let it swing as opposed to trying to manipulate it by flipping or holding too much.