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Golf, Golf and more Golf

My brother and I are playing “Reunion” in Florida at the end of the month. Hoping to substitute one day, or augment it, with Bay Hill. (A work friend is a member.)
 
My brother and I are playing “Reunion” in Florida at the end of the month. Hoping to substitute one day, or augment it, with Bay Hill. (A work friend is a member.)
If the member doesn’t work out, Bay Hill is public. Although I think you may have to stay one night to play it.
 
If the member doesn’t work out, Bay Hill is public. Although I think you may have to stay one night to play it.
Have to stay. We didn’t want to move from Reunion for one night. Friend lives there, and her husband is Robert Gamez. We hope we get to play with him, too. That would be cool.
 
Have to stay. We didn’t want to move from Reunion for one night. Friend lives there, and her husband is Robert Gamez. We hope we get to play with him, too. That would be cool.
That would be great if you got to play with Gamez. I hear him occasionally on PGA Tour Radio as a fill in. Seems like a really good guy.
 
My brother and I will be taking our 2nd big golf trip this fall. Looking to do Arizona. Probably be a 10 day trip in late September-early October
Any suggestions
 
My brother and I will be taking our 2nd big golf trip this fall. Looking to do Arizona. Probably be a 10 day trip in late September-early October
Any suggestions
Pinnacle course and monument course at Troon North.
Grayhawk
Quintero
 
Thanks. Phoenix or Tucson
I've been out there like 15 or 16 times, so I have a pretty good lay of the land. You want to stay at a resort or an Airbnb somewhere in the North Scottsdale area near TPC or Greyhawk. This way you are near the 101 Loop which will help navigate around. Traffic can be real bad certain times of day, but there is always traffic. You could always stay in Old Scottsdale, but this will impact your travel times. The other place I would recommend to stay would be near or at the Talking Stick Casino/Golf Resort. Think of it as Turning Stone but maybe a touch better. It's still near the 101 so easy access.

There are a ton of great courses in all different price ranges. I usually use one of the discount golf apps to get an idea of what is out there (attached). Since you are probably more definitive of where you want to play you might just use this list that I have attached of best courses to play.

If you end up going for ten days, there is no reason not to shoot down to Tuscon for a few days. It's a lot different than Phoenix and some great courses as well.


 
I've been out there like 15 or 16 times, so I have a pretty good lay of the land. You want to stay at a resort or an Airbnb somewhere in the North Scottsdale area near TPC or Greyhawk. This way you are near the 101 Loop which will help navigate around. Traffic can be real bad certain times of day, but there is always traffic. You could always stay in Old Scottsdale, but this will impact your travel times. The other place I would recommend to stay would be near or at the Talking Stick Casino/Golf Resort. Think of it as Turning Stone but maybe a touch better. It's still near the 101 so easy access.

There are a ton of great courses in all different price ranges. I usually use one of the discount golf apps to get an idea of what is out there (attached). Since you are probably more definitive of where you want to play you might just use this list that I have attached of best courses to play.

If you end up going for ten days, there is no reason not to shoot down to Tuscon for a few days. It's a lot different than Phoenix and some great courses as well.


Thanks a lot. We are really looking to play iconic courses. As my father likes to say, "this isn't a dress reversal".
 
Upcoming trip update: we have at least 2 rounds at reunion, maybe 3, and one at Bay Hill on Sunday, weather permitting.
 
Local course just opened up. Have my first tee-time of the year tomorrow. Excited for year three. Had some ups and downs last year but my last 4 rounds of year 2 were 98, 96, 96, 97. Spent the winter on a simulator consistently trying to work on consistency off the tee. That's my biggest liability on the course right now. Have been also working on 100 yards and in.

I'd love to hear from people who have been around the game longer than I have, what should I be working towards as I enter this third year? I feel like aiming to shoot Sub-90 is a great goal for me. I believe getting the driver kinks worked out will help so I'm not giving up penalty strokes there. Any good advice from going high 90s to high 80s?
 
Local course just opened up. Have my first tee-time of the year tomorrow. Excited for year three. Had some ups and downs last year but my last 4 rounds of year 2 were 98, 96, 96, 97. Spent the winter on a simulator consistently trying to work on consistency off the tee. That's my biggest liability on the course right now. Have been also working on 100 yards and in.

I'd love to hear from people who have been around the game longer than I have, what should I be working towards as I enter this third year? I feel like aiming to shoot Sub-90 is a great goal for me. I believe getting the driver kinks worked out will help so I'm not giving up penalty strokes there. Any good advice from going high 90s to high 80s?
spend 80% of your time chipping and putting. Literally almost all of your practice time should be spent on your short game. Its the only way to get to where you want to be.
 
spend 80% of your time chipping and putting. Literally almost all of your practice time should be spent on your short game. Its the only way to get to where you want to be.

Great advice and definitely something that's been on my mind. Thanks Marsh.
 
Local course just opened up. Have my first tee-time of the year tomorrow. Excited for year three. Had some ups and downs last year but my last 4 rounds of year 2 were 98, 96, 96, 97. Spent the winter on a simulator consistently trying to work on consistency off the tee. That's my biggest liability on the course right now. Have been also working on 100 yards and in.

I'd love to hear from people who have been around the game longer than I have, what should I be working towards as I enter this third year? I feel like aiming to shoot Sub-90 is a great goal for me. I believe getting the driver kinks worked out will help so I'm not giving up penalty strokes there. Any good advice from going high 90s to high 80s?
Outside of single digit handicappers, amateur golfers simply don’t hit greens in regulation very often. That’s why as Marsh said, your ability to score will come from your scrambling, which is your ability to get up and down around the green.
 
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Local course just opened up. Have my first tee-time of the year tomorrow. Excited for year three. Had some ups and downs last year but my last 4 rounds of year 2 were 98, 96, 96, 97. Spent the winter on a simulator consistently trying to work on consistency off the tee. That's my biggest liability on the course right now. Have been also working on 100 yards and in.

I'd love to hear from people who have been around the game longer than I have, what should I be working towards as I enter this third year? I feel like aiming to shoot Sub-90 is a great goal for me. I believe getting the driver kinks worked out will help so I'm not giving up penalty strokes there. Any good advice from going high 90s to high 80s?

Marsh’a response is more of a canned one you’d find a pro say in golf digest without seeing your game. It’s generally right for most high handicappers.

But you mentioned your driver, so my question to you would be, on average, how many stroke and distance penalties do you have per round with your long clubs?
 
Marsh’a response is more of a canned one you’d find a pro say in golf digest without seeing your game. It’s generally right for most high handicappers.

But you mentioned your driver, so my question to you would be, on average, how many stroke and distance penalties do you have per round with your long clubs?
well its not really a canned response. Its something I did and something any handicapper should work on. I worked tirelessly on my short game for years and it made all the difference in the world. During my club championship last year I hit a grand total of 3 greens in one of the rounds. 3. I shot 74 because I got up and down like 13 times.

Take the driver out of the bag if you keep hitting it out of play.
 
well its not really a canned response. Its something I did and something any handicapper should work on. I worked tirelessly on my short game for years and it made all the difference in the world. During my club championship last year I hit a grand total of 3 greens in one of the rounds. 3. I shot 74 because I got up and down like 13 times.

Take the driver out of the bag if you keep hitting it out of play.

Just got back from Sawgrass, Stadium and Dye.

And completely agree with your take. The way to really get better is to stand in grass and chip, chip, chip. Which no one, including me, really does.
 
Just got back from Sawgrass, Stadium and Dye.

And completely agree with your take. The way to really get better is to stand in grass and chip, chip, chip. Which no one, including me, really does.
i also practice by just throwing balls down in the rough around a practice green and dealing with whatever lie i get. I see people practicing where they fluff it up or chip off perfect lies. I will play a game where I drop a ball in rough, chip it as it lies and wherever it ends up I then try to putt it in and make an up and down. I wont leave until I can get like 5 in a row from different holes.
 
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Really interesting first day back.

Wasn’t feeling it off the tee. Ditched the driver for my 5 wood and got into a rhythm. Short game was really solid. The wet weather really helped my high trajectory pitch shots today. No roll out and everything was a plug landing on the green. I had a lot of success from 75-100 yards from the green.

Going into hole 12, I was shooting a 54. Really good for me. At the tee box on 12, I shifted into my lead leg while hitting my tee shot and foot slipped in the wet weather and got stuck as I tried to rotate through. Knee popped and buckled. Swelled up really quickly. That ended the day.

A little bummed I didn’t get to finish the round. Even more bummed I’m hobbling around. May have to go to the ortho urgent care if the pain doesn’t stop/swelling doesn’t go down.

Huge bummer.
 
Good news bad news
First course (Watson). done:
I am totally redoing my swing, trying to get rid of my normal slice (not a fade)
Didn't score as well as I could have. Still some chunks and topped shots. Shot an even 100, but
Not one slice
No lost balls
Only one OB.
 
Really interesting first day back.

Wasn’t feeling it off the tee. Ditched the driver for my 5 wood and got into a rhythm. Short game was really solid. The wet weather really helped my high trajectory pitch shots today. No roll out and everything was a plug landing on the green. I had a lot of success from 75-100 yards from the green.

Going into hole 12, I was shooting a 54. Really good for me. At the tee box on 12, I shifted into my lead leg while hitting my tee shot and foot slipped in the wet weather and got stuck as I tried to rotate through. Knee popped and buckled. Swelled up really quickly. That ended the day.

A little bummed I didn’t get to finish the round. Even more bummed I’m hobbling around. May have to go to the ortho urgent care if the pain doesn’t stop/swelling doesn’t go down.

Huge bummer.
Damn. That sucks
 
Played 36 today. 18 at the Nicklaus course at Reunion. Really great course. Broke 95. No lost balls, which for me is huge.
Then, after a shower and lunch, went to play 18 at Bay Hill. What a course. I did lose 2 in water, but played pretty well, for me. Drove the ball as consistently well as I ever have. Was a big hard fade/slice guy off the tee. Only one slice today, on our 28th hole.
Bay Hill is l...o...n...g. Tough, tough course.
Played with my work friend and her husband, Robert Gamez. What a great guy. Not only did they treat us to Bay Hill, but also drinks, snacks and dinner.
BTW, he has a plaque in the course where he hit this from.
https://www.pgatour.com/video/2013/...e never seen sand trap straight to the water.
 

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Played 36 today. 18 at the Nicklaus course at Reunion. Really great course. Broke 95. No lost balls, which for me is huge.
Then, after a shower and lunch, went to play 18 at Bay Hill. What a course. I did lose 2 in water, but played pretty well, for me. Drove the ball as consistently well as I ever have. Was was a big hard fade/slice guy off the tee. Only one slice today, on our 28th hole.
Bay Hill is l...o...n...g. Tough, tough course.
Played with my work friend and her husband, Robert Gamez. What a great guy. Not only did they treat us to Bay Hill, but also drinks, snacks and dinner.
BTW, he has a plaque in the course where he hit this from.
Wow. What a great experience. Very few people ever get to experience playing with a PGA champion on a PGA course. Glad you got that opportunity and wasn't overwhelmed.
 

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