On the Course... What gets you off ?

[Wazmankg]

We all love this game or we wouldn't be here. But what aspect of the game really turns you on ? Is it a particular type of shot, course or setting ?

I played with a couple of guys last week and one of them could really crush it. I could tell that he was a long-time regular player but that was the only aspect of the game he really cared about. He carried 3 drivers. He was a mediocre iron player and had a lousy short game, but he was cool with that because he could hit these gorgeous arcing 300 yard draws. He nearly drove the 339 yard 18th, hit his pitch in the hazard and walked away with a double and was happy as a clam. I'm sure he'll be thinking about that last drive until the next time out.

For me it's the moment I look up from my approach and know I've hit it stiff. The longer the better. There's an adrenaline rush ... nothing beats it. Well almost nothing. What are your favorites ?

[scottevans77]

The thing that really keeps me coming back is those times when I hit a nice iron shot and I see it going towards the green for a birdie opportunity. It doesn't happen nearly enough, but when it does it's a great feeling. I think that's the reason I love par 3s so much.

[halk]

I am not a long hitter so for me it pulling out the driver and hitting on down the middle of a long par four and when I get to the ball pull out a 3 wood and make the green. Or like a couple weeks ago on a 155 par three hit a prefect draw that land's on the green and rolls up to within 2 inches of the cup that will make you come back every time.

[Golfaddict]

The thing I love the most is a great recovery shot and a subsequent par. It's a thrill to get up and down after your playing partners think you're dead off the tee.

[C-Tech]

Honestly, I love almost every aspect of the game. No one thing really gets me more than the other. Just executing a skill and having it come off, particularly if it draws comments from one's partners. I am pretty good with the flop shot and it almost always draws a reaction when I hit one that lands like a butterfly with sore feet and dances around a shortsided pin. I like those the most I think.

[essurfer]

No question putting. I love to putt. When you knock in a well read putt, it's magic! You know what they say drive for show..........

[Diane]

So many things - that one magical shot that makes me want to come back again and the feeling of just being on the course. The lush green of the grass, the sun shining, the blue sky, being with friends and whatever cute outfit I chose to wear that day.

[JPsuff]

.


Tee shots, putting and all the day to day stuff is great and it's nice when one turns out exceptionally well, but all of that, to me anyway, is basic stuff and if one shot or another ends up stiff or just where I was aiming, I figure that I WAS aiming for that spot, so it's not really a surprise or unexpected when it happens.

But the one thing that always gets me going is hitting over things.

My biggest strength has always been the ability to hit very high shots. It could be with a driver or a three iron or just with a wedge but most of the time, when 80% of most golfers would be looking for ways to chip out or try to hit something low and under the branches, I'm looking up and over.
Just last week, after a particularly vicious slice on the sixth hole, my drive ended up clear across the fairway of the fifth hole. When I got there, I checked my SkyCaddie for the yardage and looked at the lie. Between where I was and the green I was playing for was a stand of very tall oaks (in the 50-foot plus range) and then the green just behind them. I selected an 8-iron and set up for a "moonball" and it flew perfectly over the treetops and dropped like a rock on the other side about six feet from the pin. I dropped the putt and gave myself a little pat on the back.

I love it when someone sees whatever predicament I've hit myself into and they say something like, "Oh well, I guess it's time to take your medicine".

When I hear that, my unspoken response is, "Oh yeah" Watch this!"

And if it's at all possible, I will find the spot near the top of the trees that I just know I can hit this ball over and then I just do it and quite often with very impressive results.

Most people complain that they can't hit a ball high enough and indeed the shaft industry is definitely geared towards that particular problem, but not me. When most people approach a dogleg, they're looking for ways to get around it while I'm looking to go over it. I've always had the ability to get a ball up in the air quickly and with enough force to get it where I need it to go.

It's one of the things "I really do great", and even after doing it for as long as I have, it still makes me smile and think to myself, "Great shot!"!


-JP

[PA PLAYA]

Pretty simple for me.

I typically start out great. It's not that unusual for me to find myself -2 or better through 11 or 12 holes. But that last 1/3 of the round really wears on me.

I used to think that it had more to do with the layout of the back-nine than the front nine. But over time, I learned that that has very little to do with it. Because out our club, we sometimes start on the 10th hole as opposed of starting on the first hole some days. And I've experienced the same cruel fates under that scenario. And, for that matter, when I play other courses in the area.

I can blame fatigue, I can point to a number of factors that support the fatigue excuse. And I've really been working hard to improve my physical conditioning so that my mental focus lasts for more than just 11-12 holes. But that's where my biggest challenge awaits me when I play -- the ability to stay the course mentally from start to finish. And my lack of physical conditioning certainly has played a role.

But back to the point -- there's just something personally gratifying to me about finishing well. If I can string together 4-5 consecutive pars coming in to finish, maybe get a bird in the mix somewhere, but at least finish on a strong note.... I tend to sleep much better that night, despite what the score was in the end.

So finishing the round with good play -- that's really what gives me a good feeling.

[Bigvivec]

Long irons...I love a well struck long iron...

[deronsizemore]

Originally Posted by Wazmankg

But what aspect of the game really turns you on?

I just love all aspects of the game and am completely addicted to it. As for one course shots, I don't think there is really one over the other that really gets me going. I like to work on all faucets of the game. I think the thing that I really enjoy the most is just the competition within the golfer. Whether you shoot 100 or 70, everyone has their demons and tough times and I think what keeps me coming back is working hard to get over those tough times to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel when you break through with a record round.

[C-Tech]

Originally Posted by PA PLAYA

I can blame fatigue, I can point to a number of factors that support the fatigue excuse. And I've really been working hard to improve my physical conditioning so that my mental focus lasts for more than just 11-12 holes. But that's where my biggest challenge awaits me when I play -- the ability to stay the course mentally from start to finish. And my lack of physical conditioning certainly has played a role.

Conditioning has really played a role in my game this summer. I have noticed that the heat and slow play on the local courses have taken their toll. Not so much a lowering of my physical abilities, but I can't maintain my mental concentration once I begin to tire. I have also noticed that if I play every other day, I tend to play better. Back to back days usually spell a bad day on the 2nd.

[alangbaker]

Originally Posted by Wazmankg

We all love this game or we wouldn't be here. But what aspect of the game really turns you on ? Is it a particular type of shot, course or setting ?

For me it's the moment I look up from my approach and know I've hit it stiff. The longer the better. There's an adrenaline rush ... nothing beats it. Well almost nothing. What are your favorites ?

For me it's about seeing the shot and then executing the shot. Even if the outcome isn't what I hoped for, if I've seen the shot I think I need to play and then successfully made the proper swing to make it happen, I'm happy.

Case in point: tonight I was playing pretty well, but on a short par three back into a good one club wind, I thought that I would be better to take 2 clubs more (PW) than the distance called for and play a solid low shot in rather than risk playing a full shot with my gap wedge and perhaps hitting something that would balloon. I picked the club, took a smooth 3/4 practice swing, stepped up and hit the ball dead centre on the face (I could tell because it transfered some of my sharpied initial from the ball to the club). The ball landed about three paces short and one hopped to stop precisely pin high.

It was also a little bit right (perhaps 12 - 15 feet) so it wasn't a perfect shot, but...

...I hit it exactly the way I'd envisioned it.

That makes me really happy.

[Shelby]

When I think back to my favorite shots of the year, it's always wedge shots. There is nothing better than seeing a wedge hit, take a hop and then stop next to the hole. It's even better when it kicks up a little turf!

[Ty_Webb]

My favourite moment is generally hitting it close with a long iron. The other thing is when I pick out a target like a tree in the distance, then take my shot and hit it right at that target. That is true with drives, long irons, short irons, pitches, chips and putts. Picking my target and hitting it. There's not really much else I can do.

[JungleJ]

Every time I play, no matter how well I am playing, I always say to myself and my partner "it beats being at work". So just being out playing is top of my list. I enjoy the rituals of getting ready to play.

I think my favourite shot to hit is probably a 3/4 to full PW. I just love that shot. But sometimes I'm hitting that for my 4th or 5th shot and the hole is already ruined. Similarly with flops and chips - they're fun to play but often in a lost cause.

So what gets me off most has to be a great tee shot - whether a long drive down the middle or a 6 iron to 5 feet on a par 3 - that's the best feeling (in golf)

[GenErr]

A mid-iron (4, 5 or 6) from 175+ yards, hit flush, high trajectory and on target to the flag! For me it doesn't get much better than that.

Of course it doesn't happen very often either!

[jwaldrop]

I really love hitting it close with wedges from 100 in, and stiffing chips. I'd rather be good at that than anything else in golf!

[Darth Fader]

I love it when i hit a putt and the moment it leaves the clubface i know its in,cant beat that feeling.

[ringin]

For me it's getting home in two on a tough par 5. Hitting a rocketed 3 wood 250+ to the green with a chance for eagle, it's the greatest. That and chipping in from around the green. I love chipping in for birdie.

[JimSomebody]

Even though a huge drive for me is only about 235, the big drive (by my "standards") is the shot I love the most... partly because I immediately know that I've hit it dead solid perfect and partly because I get to enjoy it for so long, as it flies and rolls.

After that, I guess my next favorite is a flag-hunting short iron. A shot with a longer club that's flag-hunting is fine, of course, but as I'm watching it, I know that it's likely to roll and wind up anywhere, whereas a flag-hunting short iron is more likely to stay near its touch-down point.

[straightshooter]

I really enjoy close approach shots, and I also very much enjoy a 'properly played hole', i.e. an unspectacular 'easy' par: FW, GIR, 2-putt (with the 2nd putt < 2').