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being in awe

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Art M

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I very recently had the pleasure to play with a really good golfer. I think you would call him a scratch or plus golfer. He recently qualified for the local state amateur championship. A young kid, about 30 as I am now 47, who has been golfing for 24 years as he says. ( i am a relative virgin at 10 months ). So modest and willing to help if you ask. Every swing looks effortless and nonchalant. At the same time his ritual is the same before, during, and after every shot. I asked how much effort do you put into the swing. He replied about 80-85 percent. It looks more like 50%. His distance and accuracy was amazing. His 8.5° driver has only one strike spot on it. ONE! He never misses the sweet spot. We measured his drive via the yardage markers and gps because I had to know. 331 yards, laser straight, with a bullet like, linear trajectory. That was not his longest just one decided to measure. His green reading was equally excellent. I would have thought that after playing along side him for 36 holes or so I would have grown "accustomed" to his excellence. Never happened! The only other time I had a similar feeling during this game was when I played along side a 12 year old boy who was so passionate about the game that it was infectious. Have you ever had a similar experience?
 
The first time I ever saw Gary Woodland hit a golf ball. I was playing a course called Alvamar with my dad. The KU golf team was practicing ahead of us. A few holes were backed up, so we got to watch this group tee off on every hole. Gary was just a young kid at the time, probably a junior in college. Maybe longer than he is now, but a lot more wild. I watched him hit bomb after bomb. On a par 5, he hit something that looked like it was out of a cartoon. I swear the ball went 400 yards. Even his buddies were oohing and ahhing. One of the guys playing with them shrugged his shoulders, looked at me and said "You never really get used to it." I have been a fan ever since.
 
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Have been lucky to play with some very good golfers and it's always a good time. All that I've played with were very humble about their abilities as well. The only thing I don't like is that I sound like an idiot saying "good shot" 50 times.
 
It really is fun playing with someone who's just another level of good. I've had a chance to go out with guys who are scratch a couple times, and it's just fun to watch. I had the same experience as Hawk - all were just having fun playing out there, and were very humble. All were great guys to play with.
 
I played against a scratch golfer in league a few weeks ago, but it wasn't how I expected. He'd have bad shots off line or into bunkers, but he scrambled amazingly. He was a very nice guy though which made me not hate him as much as he crushed us in league. :alien:
 
"Nice shot, Freddie." - Pete Carrol
 
It's fun playing with people who are that good. Watching them move their ball around the course, not have any really bad misses, and usually get it up and down from anywhere is really fun to watch.

I've had the chance to tee it up with several really, really good THPers, and it has been fun to watch them play but also to just generally have a good time.

One experience with a super good golfer, though, was puzzling. I was paired with a +5 hdcp when I played TPC Scottsdale a couple years ago. Winds were really gusting, and I felt fortunate to stay under 90 that day. The +5, though, seemed miserable the entire time. He shot even par and was incredibly disappointed.

He just didn't seem to have fun at all, even though he hit some ridiculous shots.
 
ATLGolfer said:
It's fun playing with people who are that good. Watching them move their ball around the course, not have any really bad misses, and usually get it up and down from anywhere is really fun to watch.

I've had the chance to tee it up with several really, really good THPers, and it has been fun to watch them play but also to just generally have a good time.

One experience with a super good golfer, though, was puzzling. I was paired with a +5 hdcp when I played TPC Scottsdale a couple years ago. Winds were really gusting, and I felt fortunate to stay under 90 that day. The +5, though, seemed miserable the entire time. He shot even par and was incredibly disappointed.

He just didn't seem to have fun at all, even though he hit some ridiculous shots.
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p


This is true. You saw me at my finest in Ohio.
 
JRod said:
p


This is true. You saw me at my finest in Ohio.
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Keep your head up, Champ.

With a little work, you'll break 80 at some point.

:Alien:
 
I played 9 holes with Jordan Spieth when he was still in high school. Talk about eye opening.
 
JRod said:
Maybe one day. I'm just about five drivers away.
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This might be the post of the year! LOL!

I play regularly with a guy who is a 2 and I'm always amazed at his ball striking. I caddied for him once in a county amateur championship and his course management was probably the most glaring difference between he and I. When we play we are about the same length off the tee. He's about 5 feet closer to the pin on approaches. But he never gets himself into too much trouble. If he does find himself in trouble he's smart about it minimizing the damage.
 
Got the opportunity to play with an LPGA pro in Orlando a couple of years ago thanks to THP. Her ball-striking was effortless, and I think she hit every green until hole #8. On that hole (420 yard par 4), she missed the green to the left. When that happened, it was like in Rocky IV when the announcer screams "The Russian is cut!", I couldn't believe it happened. I actually thought I could beat her on that hole....until she chipped in from off of the green. It was ridiculous.
 
adamw238 said:
I play regularly with a guy who is a 2 and I'm always amazed at his ball striking. I caddied for him once in a county amateur championship and his course management was probably the most glaring difference between he and I. When we play we are about the same length off the tee. He's about 5 feet closer to the pin on approaches. But he never gets himself into too much trouble. If he does find himself in trouble he's smart about it minimizing the damage.
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The assistant pro at The Hideaway that Hawk and I played with during round 1 of the Grandaddy was a lot like that.

I was hitting my driver pretty well, and I was actually keeping up with him for the most part. I was usually a touch longer, but he was usually straighter. (Truth be told, I'm not sure he missed a fairway.) From that point in, however, he was significantly better than me. No contest.

But I guess that's why he shot 67 and I was somewhere around 80.
 
My "awe inspiring" experience was in the late 90s/early 2000s when I was just getting seriously into golf - my friends Dad was the head pro a Meadowbrook Country Club on Long Island and at that time they hosted the Lightpath Long Island Golf Classic.

His son and I worked the range during the tournament weeks and got to witness some phenomenal golf (Lee Trevino, Chi Chi, Etc.) - that was when I truly became hooked - now when I go to tournaments I still am in awe at the pros (Tiger, Rory, Dustin, Woodland, etc. - the senior tour pros were always very accommodating and willing to chat with all of the fans - the current "pros" don't do it nearly as much....I guess down the line they will open up more....
 
I loved watching THP member Saskey hit his driver and 3 wood like it was his job. Talk about a humbling experience. By the 18th hole I was out of expletives.
 
2 of the guys in my regular group are right around scratch (one is a .8 the other is 1.3) - they are very long and play muscle backs. Last Saturday my buddy shot 69 (first time I have ever played with someone who broke par), he had 2 eagles and 5 birdies, colorful scorecard with 6 bogeys (should have been way lower)....it is something when you hit a good drive 265 down the middle and you're 75yds behind him. Both are great guys and a blast to play with, its just a different game they way they play it. It helps me as well to concentrate, we played 36 holes last Sunday and I shot 79 & 77, and lost by over 6 shots both rounds
 
A good friend's son attended Coastal Carolina in Myrtle Beach. The kid is a scratch golfer and is now an assistant pro at an upscale country club and will occasionally enter a mini-tour event. I have played golf with the kid on numerous occasions and am in awe of his game. That said and like I noted, the kid is a scratch golfer but he wasn't even close to getting on the school's golf team. The best he could do was alternate status. When he was a freshman, Dustin Johnson was a Senior. He told me that he play a few rounds with Dustin and that Dustin played a game in a whole different dimension than his. I am amazed by this kid's game, I can only imagine what it would be like to play with Dustin.
 
I've played with a few + handicap guys and for the most part the experience has been great. Usually very humble and positive guys. Seeing how relaxed guys like that are on the course almost always helps me play better.


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I usually get the "awe" factor when I'm playing a round with Freddie. I've stopped saying "Good Shot Freddie". I just look at him, chuckle a bit, and say "YOU SUCK!!". :laughing:
 
Smithfaced said:
I've played with a few + handicap guys and for the most part the experience has been great. Usually very humble and positive guys. Seeing how relaxed guys like that are on the course almost always helps me play better.


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My experience is the same. When playing with genuinely superior golfers, they tend to be very humble and inviting. I think it is because they love the game and want others to enjoy it as well. But, perhaps, the reality is they know how well they play in their own hearts and do not need to prove anything to others. They are just plain comfortable with themselves. The jerks tend to be those that want to give the appearance of exceptional games and often it becomes apparent that they are not as good as they think or want others to believe.
 
I've had the pleasure to play with a couple of guys that are at or near scratch golfers. Like other observations, they are usually humble about their game and are pleasant to be around. They have been willing to help me when I ask a question as well, but not be overbearing about suggestions. The good thing about it is also when the round is over their scores are 72 or whatever and they just made it seem so effortless the entire time, like they didn't even have to work or struggle to get there even when they do happen to find a little trouble. I used to be concerned about being paired with a golfer of that skill level, but having been there a couple of times, that's probably better than being paired with the guy who's a 9 who thinks he should be scratch. That equals temper tantrum at times.
 
About once a month, I play with a guy who played some of the mini-tours and was within a stroke of making it to the 3rd day of Q School. Nicest guy/kid ever. First time I played with him, I initially (and stupidly) thought I could keep up with him. I watched him scramble to make par on the first hole with some mediocre shots. On the second hole, he short-sided himself with a downhill lie, over a bunker, to a pin just five paces downhill from the edge of the bunker. He proceeded to hit a flop that settled inches from the hole! I almost fell over where I was standing. From that same position, I would have been happy to hit it on the green, let alone hit it near the hole.

The next hole, he chipped in for birdie. And that was the biggest difference. No matter how bad of a shot he hits, he always seems to scramble and pull a birdie/par out of his ass. And he just putts lights out. He told me that the majority of his practice is around the green, and that growing up, he just practiced every type of short game shot he could think of. It shows in how creative he is.

And like almost everyone has said here, he just plays with a modest confidence.
 
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