Par Foreeeeee The Course

[Drog]

Great advice Gord - just what my coach says and I try to take note . However as the shots get sliced and topped , the grip gets tighter , the swing gets quicker and I forget to keep my eyes on the ball . So many things to remember !

The wife still teaches full time so no problem being away for 5 hours plus

Isn’t it great being a Brexit pensioner !

6 great tips to remember but I can never manage to remember more than 5 at any one time!

More boring advice............
Lesson 2.
Correct stance and grip is key and I'm sure your pro has sorted that for you. Stick at it cos it'll feel funny for a round or two but don't ever revert to what might feel more natural cos it'll set you back massively.

I must say you'll improve significantly when you hit a bad shot and can identify immediately what you did wrong. That is key to improvement e.g. when driving the first at Wilpshire if you make the mistake of too wide a stance, not staying over the ball at impact and swing 'out to in' your drive will slice into the wood on the right. Put a provisional down and do the same again and it'll do the same again. Just like Einstein's definition of insanity! Once you can recognise your mistake and can correct it then your second shot (and subsequent drives ) will have a much better chance of staying on the fairway.

Finally.... golf is improved most on the practice ground and least actually playing. Something which few, including myself adhere to. 'Drive for show and put for dough' is the old saying but never underestimate the value of lessons and practice of your short game. A strong short game from 70 yards in (including the all important putting lessons) covers up for lots of crap off the tee and the fairway. It's also easiest to practice.

 

[Wilpshire Blue]

This has needed to happen for some time - at last it's being seriously talked about but will it come into being?

Distance debate in golf: R&A and USGA say long hitting should be curbed

Golf's governing bodies say "potential changes to equipment rules" may be needed to limit driving distances for the good of the game.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[davebirch]

This has needed to happen for some time - at last it's being seriously talked about but will it come into being?

Distance debate in golf: R&A and USGA say long hitting should be curbed

Golf's governing bodies say "potential changes to equipment rules" may be needed to limit driving distances for the good of the game.

www.bbc.co.uk

How do you stop it, WB, without penalising those that don't hit in long?

 

[Drog]

This has needed to happen for some time - at last it's being seriously talked about but will it come into being?

Distance debate in golf: R&A and USGA say long hitting should be curbed

Golf's governing bodies say "potential changes to equipment rules" may be needed to limit driving distances for the good of the game.

www.bbc.co.uk

We've seen 'square' grooves outlawed along with trampoline club heads. However there is still lots of requirement for ever longer distances off the tee by amateur golfers which will always drive shaft and head technology by club makers. Too many courses have lost their designed difficulty because equipment now takes out a lot of the traditional hazards. The way forward imo is for the professional golf balls to be much less 'dynamic' than the amateur versions.

 

[Wilpshire Blue]

How do you stop it, WB, without penalising those that don't hit in long?

Surely capping club / ball distance at around 280 yards would give enough scope to the shorter hitters to still be able to progress but would also stop golf courses becoming something akin to a pitch and putt for the professionals or top amateurs?

 

[OnlyOneTugay]

Just an update . Enjoyed my first game ( very informal , not serious and no scoring ) on the Wilpshire course on Wednesday . Weather was decent and I/we did all 18 holes . Started at 9-30 and finished around 2-45 .

Lost 4 balls in the rough/ trees / undergrowth but found two others ! Drog’s excellent advice was followed to the tee , but once I put the ball down on it , my head came up , my grip tightened and my swing speeded up . I’m hoping things will improve !

Oh and why do they put those big holes full of sand in such inconvenient locations !

 

[Wilpshire Blue]

Just an update . Enjoyed my first game ( very informal , not serious and no scoring ) on the Wilpshire course on Wednesday . Weather was decent and I/we did all 18 holes . Started at 9-30 and finished around 2-45 .

Lost 4 balls in the rough/ trees / undergrowth but found two others ! Drog’s excellent advice was followed to the tee , but once I put the ball down on it , my head came up , my grip tightened and my swing speeded up . I’m hoping things will improve !

Oh and why do they put those big holes full of sand in such inconvenient locations !

Wait till next week

 

[Drog]

Just an update . Enjoyed my first game ( very informal , not serious and no scoring ) on the Wilpshire course on Wednesday . Weather was decent and I/we did all 18 holes . Started at 9-30 and finished around 2-45 .

Lost 4 balls in the rough/ trees / undergrowth but found two others ! Drog’s excellent advice was followed to the tee , but once I put the ball down on it , my head came up , my grip tightened and my swing speeded up . I’m hoping things will improve !

Oh and why do they put those big holes full of sand in such inconvenient locations !

It isn't easy to play within your strength OOT that's for sure. But if you want some more advice a four ball (Im assuming that's what it was) should, unless you are held up should take no more than 4 hours and a quarter. Five hour plus rounds will earn you nothing more than a bad reputation in the clubhouse.

 

[davebirch]

It isn't easy to play within your strength OOT that's for sure. But if you want some more advice a four ball (Im assuming that's what it was) should, unless you are held up should take no more than 4 hours and a quarter. Five hour plus rounds will earn you nothing more than a bad reputation in the clubhouse.

The biggest problem for golf= slow play

 

[Old Darwen Blue]

I think if I attempted 18 holes we wouldn’t be talking about taking hours, but instead taking days.

 

[Drog]

No but it'd just seem like it around Darwen GC! That is one tough walk!

 

[davebirch]

What a difference a few days make!
Monday, I'm up there but not quite making it, today I'm stuffing it.

Anyways guys, this is my home course:

Home - The Ridge

Offering one of the finest public access facilities in NSW, The Ridge Golf Course and Driving Range located in the... Read More

theridgegolf.com.au

It's hard with left /right falls on many fairways, and one par 3 (the 5th) has bounce either way that takes you either into scrub (and lost ball) or an adjacent fairway, where the return shot puts you in peril of going into the aforementioned scrub!
It's got a good reputation with many people wanting to take on the challenge

 

[Drog]

Dave.... get yourself a cold beer and settle down for half an hour or so to view this walk through of my course.
I've only just discovered this little gem but make sure you click on the individual hole and then the video link, turn up the sound and max the screen. You might just recognise the narrator and his unique delivery!
Beware though it might make you want to come home! ......until you realise that we get about 20 days like those in a year!

Course :: Pleasington Golf Club

Pleasington Golf Club is regarded as one of the premier inland courses in the North of England having hosted many prestigious events during its illustrious history which dates back to 1891. The golf course is simply stunning, set in 142 acres of picturesque countryside in the rural village of...

www.pleasington-golf.co.uk

Also check out the sponsors and the sponsor for hole 4 in particular.
Next check out Hole 18, the upstairs bay window of the clubhouse under the weather vane.......... it's my business office! The entire upstairs being unused a few years ago and subsequently given over to 3 private offices and the general office. Not a bad view eh? N.B Another Rovers link, this is the clubhouse that "Jack Built". Jack Walker donated a million pounds to knock down the old clubhouse and replace it with this new one in 1997.

 

[OnlyOneTugay]

Looks a beautiful course !

As a new boy in the golfing world and a member at Wilpshire ( thanks again WB for your guidance and tips getting most of the way round on Tuesday ) my question to the more experienced golfers :

Which is the more challenging course , Wilpshire or Pleasington?

 

[Drog]

Both of em for high handicappers like me! Wilpshire is relatively easy in calmer conditions but is a massively different ball game in a strong westerly wind..... or any wind come top that because much of it is on top of a hill. Both clubs usually have very good and pretty true greens too.

I guess the lower handicappers (who tend to know more about these things) will always say Pleasington and that's probably why it gets some Open qualifiers and Top Ladies events. Problem these days is it's not long enough for modern big hitters and there isn't enough space for safe spectating, parking or even hotel accommodation for the really top mens inland events. Also these top events can be a pain for members not being able to play on certain days of the year too as big events are over a few days and all the competitors are allowed to come and play the course before the event too.

 

[Drog]

Looks a beautiful course !

Wouldn't do today that's for certain OOT!

Did you run through the videos? I'd no idea we had old Peter Allis narrating the way around (why would I check out my own course?) but his style of commentary and the drone footage is a great addition to the web site isn't it? Prob done through some agency but I'd imagine that it cost a bob or two!

N.B. Instead of the club being run by a Council as in the old days we now have a very progressive and professional management committee in place (run by a mate of mine who built up a business and sold it for a good few bob inside a decade) which is really turning the business around. They were of course resented massively as most of the old lifelong members saw this at the start as some sort of sacrilegious takeover or bloodless coup, but since they've increased incomes and spent most on making very necessary course improvements most are coming around to the new regime.

 

[Wilpshire Blue]

I would have to say that Pleasington would get the nod as the tougher course OOT.
It's longer than Wilpshire, for a start, which always counts towards difficulty in my book.

There are a few different aspects that contribute to a good golf club in my opinion.
The course, the practice facilities and the clubhouse / social side of things.

I'd say that Wilpshire is a good course (you've only experienced it in the Winter thus far). Practice facilities are fair but not great and the clubhouse / social side is very good (especially when you live 5 minutes' walk away ). Overall, it's a good club.

Pleasington is a very good course but I always think it could have better practice facilities for a course of its standing. Drog would be able to appraise you of the quality of the social side of things.

Oh, and don't forget - Pleasington is a lot more expensive too.

 

[Drog]

Definitely more expensive but we do have a pretty large driving range (including car park and ball dispenser) which you prob aren't aware of WB, about half a mile down Links lane. A fee of £20 (I think) gets you an otherwise free pass to use it all through the year. There are no lights unfortunately so that precludes night times in the winter. Alongside the 18th there is a small green available for chipping / pitching practice plus the practice putting green and 3 x nets to the right of the 1st tee. I've never been in it but there is also lots of electronic wizadry in the pro shop which allows members to play courses all over the world as well as the more normal improve their swing and putting technique facilities.

 

[Wilpshire Blue]

Aye, we have that course simulation thingy at Wilpshire too but I've never used it.
When I was a member at Preston GC (Fulwood), they had a separate Winter League that just played courses on that each weekend through the year to avoid being screwed by the weather!

 

[davebirch]

Looks spectacular Drog. I'll have a detailed look later.

I've probably shown you this photo from a few years back.
Taken from the left of the 2nd Tee with the 5th tee in the backgound. You're allowed to retake your shot if you hit the high tension wires, (they sing when you hit them.)
A few snakes live around the creek in front of the green.