Interestingly, my last 20 round moving average has now caught up to my last 10 round average at 96.8. 20 rounds ago they were both at about 103. So I've actually made some good progress but have obviously stagnated lately. As poor as my putting and chipping have been, I've got to believe that something like 93 or so is pretty achievable within the next 20 rounds.

When comparing with the tour pros you should remember that they probably play in much more tricky conditions than the rest of us hacks do. You shoot around par and that probably means that you hit a lot more greens than sylar (and I) do which should give you fewer realistic one-putt opportunities. I'm not saying that 37 putts is atrocious or anything if you shoot 100, but if you're hitting only a few greens in regulation per round and you have a decent short game you should have 0 3-putts and a lot of chances to 1-putt which should take you to around 30 putts pretty quickly. I was mostly trying to give sylar a sense of something he could aim for to shave quite a few shots of his average score.

Edit: Oh and 30 putts per round is nowhere near ridiculous.

This is my first year playing golf and I am averaging just over 34 putts per round (26 HDC) at a relatively easy putting course. I barely hit any greens, but usually get to an easy chip/pitch situation around the green. I can usually chip close and 2 putt or better. My best shots by far are within 30 yards. I also don't count putts from the fringe.

Well, Sunday morning back in Scotland shot Par off the medals for the first time ever, however walked off on a downer as I was 3 under after 10, with a course record of 3 under to beat and defo in my sites, I was in the zone, then chunked one in the water on 11, and pumped one out of bounds two holes later before finishing birdie, bogey, par, par, par.

Down to 6 again for first time in 5 or so years though.

Crushed my previous best of 91 with a 85 at Hansen Dam in Pacoima today. It was surreal breaking 90 for the first time by so much.

Chipping and putting is everything in this game.

Is that the course in Victor? I remember the greens being pretty fast and kinda tough to read. The course itself wasn't that great though.

Funny, I went around Pine Ridge in Baltimore the other day in 83 (a serious success for me), and I would say...

Driving and approaches are everything in this game.

Go figure.

yes, that's the course between Victor and Bloomfield. i only played it once before, over a year ago for 9 holes. didn't remember much. this time, the greens felt kinda slow, and a couple of them had cart tracks on them (idiots upstate). i was disappointed with some of the design, especially on the back 9.

wow, what a difference in rounds sunday vs. tuesday.

50+49=99 with 46 putts, at Old Trail where my summer league was held. it was an improvement over league scores, but putting was atrocious (though greens were admitedly faster, i am going to practice putting only for the rest of the month). it was beyond bad. i had 9 more putts vs. the round on sunday, but somehow had 6 fewer other shots to get it to 99. didn't really hit more greens and chips, but only had 2 mis-hits, one bladed chip and one fat mid iron from the fairway.

left quite a few shots over there because i am an idiot. hit a sw because i thought i was inside 90 yards when actually i was 120 out. landed 10 yards short of a huge green. such a dumbass.

42 (17), par 37. Two unnecessary putting-related bogeys and a smooth triple to close it out. I need to remember that it is much more difficult to hit the giant slice on command with the hybrid than it is with an iron or driver.

Played 15 holes before darkness in Gustav's remnants, meaning 386% humidity and 35mph winds. Missed a little putt on the last hole for Even, played pretty good and putted very good except that last putt.

Finished my 1st tournament in about 6 years on Monday...

80-82-83.

Happy that I didn't completely embarrass myself, disappointed at how many shots I *completely* wasted.

If I was a reasonable chipper and putter, I would've shot 73-70-73 based on my calculations of "pissed away completely" shots. I didn't make one putt outside of 10 feet and missed 3 inside of 3 feet.

I am happy though because shooting in the 60s was "unthinkable" before, but after seeing my game compared to the guys I was playing with, I just have to learn to chip, putt, and hit the right club into the greens.

I actually got to play with my brother in law (the +4 handicap who has tournament issues) in the second round. He said I put like 4k rpm on my driver and that is why it doesn't go anywhere. He said his is something like 2500. It would be nice to gain 30 yards or so.

However, this depresses me a lot:

Woolf had an impressive final nine holes to rally for the victory. He drove the green on No. 4, a 366-yard par 4, and made birdie.

On the same hole, I crushed my drive right down the middle and was 85 yards from the green.

i live in vegas, course listed

(badlands) yesterday - 85
(sienna) today - 90
(pauite) tomorrow - hope its in the low 80s or better :]

2008 Rounds
Front-Back-Tot-Putt-Penalty-Fairways-GIR
50-63-113 Primm Valley Resort
53-46-99 Bear's Best
48-56-104 Revere at Anthem Lexington
50-53-103 Wolf Paiute
45-59-104 Lost Canyons Sky
55-62-117 Lost Canyon Shadow
54-54-108 Badlands
50-50-100 Rio Secco
46-53-99 (43) Revere at Anthem Lexington
45-51-96 (37) Paiute Sun Course
38 (19) Durango Hills par 30
50-49-99 (38) Revere at Anthem Lexington
51-50-101 (39) Bears Best
37-32-69 (31) Durango Hills par 58
53-48-101 (36) TPC Las Vegas
52-63-115 (36) TPC Las Vegas
36-39-75 (33) Durango Hills par 58
54-49-103 (41) TPC Las Vegas
53-55-108 (37) Arrowhead
53-45-98 (42) George W. Dunne National
53-51-104 (40) Bears Best
51-48-99 (35) Red Rock Arroyo
50-45-95 (35) Bears Best
50-47-97 (38) The Lakes
56-48-104 (40) Wolf Paiute
51-47-98 (37) Rhodes Ranch
43-49-92 (34) Revere at Anthem Concord
54-54-108 (37) Bears Best
47-42-89 (35) (0) TPC Las Vegas
45-45-90 (34) (4) Wolf Paiute
49-45-94 (33) (5) The Falls
53-52-105 (39) (7) Wolf Paiute
46-47-93 (34) (1) Reflection Bay
50-51-101 (36) (2) Poppy Hills
47-46-93 (38) (3) Eagle Vines, Napa
46-41 87 (37) (0) Settler's Hill
47 (15) (3) Lost Dunes
51-55-106 (34) (8) Whittaker Woods
44-53-97 (36) (3) TPC Las Vegas
50-50-100 (42) (4) Paiute Snow Mountain
53-43-96 (39) (5) Reflection Bay
48-42-90 (35) (2) (12/14) (7/18) Reflection Bay

7 putts on two GIR at the 7th and 8th holes followed by a tee shot duff on 9. Other than that I played well, scrambling more than one would think as my irons were not very good today. Putted great on the back, draining two 10-foot par saves and two more from about 15 feet.

77 ... after making par on the first 12 holes

13 - par 3, long uphill, left it well short and failed to get up and down after my chip checked on a downslope? ... bogey
14 - par 4, routine par
15 - par 4, pushed my 2i "drive" into the trees, didn't get out ... double bogey
16 - par 5, perfect drive over a bunker into a narrow fairway, then hooked my "safe" 2nd shot into the woods ... bogey
17 - par 3, wind shifted causing my GW to come up short and roll consideribly back down the hill, failed to get up and down again ... bogey
18 - par 4, routine par in the dark

HDCP 8.0 -> 7.8

My first round since June happened today at Forest Highlands Canyon course, Arizona's number one ranked track and I believe one of the top hundred in the country. Hadn't been there in forever. Our host, a friend of mine, has a house there and we went up yesterday morning. I didn't play yesterday though - just played the role of semi-forecaddie for four friends of mine, then last night we cooked steaks, played poker and, the most awesome of all, felt cold! Something I forgot was possible being stuck here in PHX all summer.

Today I did play and didn't light the course on fire but didn't lose a ball either which is a bit of a moral victory on this course. Had nothing worse than bogey, of which I had eight, along with two birdies and the rest pars which led to a fairly satisfying 77. But it didn't stop us from losing net three ways and $30 to the other team...

Wish I had pics cuz this is the most photogenic course I've ever played but I was too busy enjoying everything. And drinking Amstel Lights.

Must've been nice. Played at Poston today to take advantage of their awesome infinite replay deal, but it was too damn hot to go out again. So we just came back and went tailgating at the ASU game instead.

Anyway, 45-43 88 (31). Still can't fix my irons though. I hit the so fat and chunk so many shots which is bad enough, but it makes fairway bunker play nigh impossible. I pretty much have pitch out of all of them. Good thing chipping saves my ass.

I only played Poston Buttes one time last December. I tried to get my group to go back down there because of the incredible value but nobody wanted to drive that far (although it could be argued that Quintero or Estrella Mountain Ranch are just as far from East Phoenix/Scottsdale where most of us live).

There are rumors that Southern Dunes (now Royal Dunes) is going under and will close soon, which is astounding. Like that course, Poston Buttes probably faces tough times ahead because of being so damned far for most people. I wonder if they will be able to build and sell the houses on that course. Pretty fun track though - nothing spectacular but like any Troon Golf property it's always in good shape.

Shot 92 with 41 puts on a scrubby muni its wide open with fairways right next to each other on most holes so I feel like I should be breaking 90 there.
Driving which had been phenomenal by my standards last weekend returned to normal and I was losing shots right off the tee. Irons were hit and miss mostly miss and chipping was the same. Putting improved as the round went on but I pulled a lot of puts left and 4 putted two greens. Overall not good but I fulfilled the first ambition of the high handicapper and returned with the ball I started with.

It's a bit of a drive, but we can get there in just under an hour from Tempe.

I really like the course and it's in phenomenal shape for the summer (much better than Estrella right now), but yeah it doesn't seem to be getting enough traffic to stay viable. There seem to be a decent number of people living in the houses though and still more under construction. They're definitely trying; they've got a full waterpark built for kids right in the middle of it. But I've been there 3 or 4 times now and there just aren't enough golfers out to be profitable. Though that may be because of the season.

pauite snow: 41-40 (81)

85 (39). Best ball tournament. Several three putts at inopportune times. Need to practice making three footers.

84 (30) Had 4 lip-out putts and drilled a drive straight into the very top of the face of a fairway bunker about 265 out. Hit my tee shot on a par 3 and then the wind suddenly went from calm to gusting like 30mph perpendicular. It was one of those rounds where it seems like I lost a stroke on almost every hole for an inch here or there. Suffice it to say I was not pleased with myself.

Edit: This season I went from consistenly being in the 80s with mostly pars and bogies to inconsistenly golfing in the mid-to-high 70s with probably more doubles than bogies! W...T...F ??? Can you say blowups?

46 (19).

played a twilight 9 with my gf yesterday. best 6 holes ever (par-par-double-bogey-bogey-par), followed by a big chokejob on probably the easiest 3 hole stretch (triple-double-bogey).

started out with two 1 putts (the second one was pure luck 70-footer). then regressed. really lost it on holes 7 and 8. failed to get out of a bunker once. overshot the green on a chip. ugh. still disgusted with myself.

positives: didn't lose a ball (though played a provisional once). stayed in play the entire time (one punchout from behind a tree which went like 5 yards). i usually don't have time to warm up and tee off a couple on the first hole. not this time. no mulligans, no drops. i think one thin shot and the one bunker shot.

negatives: cannot freaking get on the green from 75-130 yards. constantly underclubbing. going to have to work on that.

80 (30) on a par 69 course.