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Contest #1 - 2014 #TheGrandaddy - The Event Of A Lifetime

SuperStroke
I just caught up here a bit.
A ton of excellent talk going on in here!

I think the wise thing would be to take one shot at a time, give your absolute best to that shot.
Analyze the best times to go for it, how much will a miss be penalized? What's the worst case miss here? Is it worth it?

Basically play thinking mans golf, know where you stand, know where your opportunity stands, have a blast, and soak it all in.

Everyone there wants to win, everyone there wants to have a great time.

This thread really has me thinking how I may handle things. Knowing I'd be in good hands with #Cookie, it ultimately is up to me to play well.

Also, not to sound 100% corny... But the emotion that Kevin felt is awesome, we talked about this in Ocean City and to witness the raw emotion and pride this man still feels, well... I got to say it was moving!

That's what I want out of this!
 
jim54 said:
This is a great thread and very educational, as a slightly older golfer who cannot hit 300 yd. drives or a hybrid 250, every hole of every round is match play. Hit your best drive to a position (the only plan) and play in from there, I have to count on my short game and brain to beat people younger and better than myself.

We are going against a Team that has access to the best Equipment in the world and the best training facilities, there is no question they will be ready with the best and newest of everything fit to each person right down to the spikes on their shoes.
Just having a chance to compete with them would be the experience of a lifetime and to beat them..well that is what we Internet / Basement Dwelling / Mouse hand Golfers live for.
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Right there with you sir. As an older golfer like wine better with age. Several years ago I started playing green back. Hit to my most reliable club to approach green. Has worked for me in both match and stroke play. Where it really helps is on new courses I haven't played before. Having that comfortable yardage and club does wonders for confidence in those unfamiliar situations.
 
Like most everyone, practise is one of the priorities. Also im a huge fan of match play and really enjoy it. I played it last year in our club champs for 36 holes, I was down 6 after 6 holes as I wasn't playing my game, I changed my mind set and started playing for me instead of worrying about the other guy. After a bit of lunch I erased the deficit in the second round and went on to win 2-1.
Also this year I have played Pennants (morning round of foursomes and afternoon round of singles match play) my partner and I went 5 wins from 7 rounds and those 2 were only because we weren't playing those rounds, I also only lost 2 singles matches. I loved every minute of playing different courses and against different opponents from other clubs, high and low handicaps.
I may not be the guy you are wanting which is ok, but I have given it a shot. l will say to everyone if you can get out and have some match play rounds do it, you will love it and it is a totally different game to stroke play.

#BasementDwellers4ever
#ZooKeepers
 
mmaynard11 said:
Great discussions going on in this thread today. I just was able to catch up after a day at the beach and pool.

Match play is definitely taxing. Its not like just heading out to play a stroke round of golf. However on the flip side I prefer match over stroke and find it fun and enjoyable. Brings an added nuiasance into the game.
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I really like match play as well. The struggle for me is that I am also trying to drop my handicap. I wonder if those two things are mutually exclusive. Not in keeping score (just play out your ball and count the strokes) but in mindset. Can both those goal be achieved simultaneously in good fashion?
 
The past 24 hours in this thread has been a FANTASTIC and eye opening discussion. The #dreamteam worked their asses off last year and put in the work to be the best golfers they could be.

I don't recall us openly discussing the handicap format and strategy in such detail last year ahead of the event but I could definitely be mistaken there. I think it's awesome that we can all talk about it this far in advance and truly realize what it means and how it will be used in this event.

Your handicap is a reflection of your golfing ability. HOW that handicap is built goes MUCH further than I think some realize. Make that handicap travel....and put yourself in positions where you are under pressure, until you do that you simply don't know how you will perform in an event such as this.

I know I should be lower than a mid 11 right now. I intend to be sub 9 by December.....but I can guarantee you I will be able to confidently take that index with me anywhere I go.

Lastly.....we don't have a winner for this first contest yet!!!! Anyone anxious yet? :angel:

Team #BasementDwellers will soon have 2.....and I can't wait to find out whom it is.
 
#Cookie said:
The past 24 hours in this thread has been a FANTASTIC and eye opening discussion. The #dreamteam worked their asses off last year and put in the work to be the best golfers they could be.

I don't recall us openly discussing the handicap format and strategy in such detail last year ahead of the event but I could definitely be mistaken there. I think it's awesome that we can all talk about it this far in advance and truly realize what it means and how it will be used in this event.

Your handicap is a reflection of your golfing ability. HOW that handicap is built goes MUCH further than I think some realize. Make that handicap travel....and put yourself in positions where you are under pressure, until you do that you simply don't know how you will perform in an event such as this.

I know I should be lower than a mid 11 right now. I intend to be sub 9 by December.....but I can guarantee you I will be able to confidently take that index with me anywhere I go.

Lastly.....we don't have a winner for this first contest yet!!!! Anyone anxious yet? :angel:

Team #BasementDwellers will soon have 2.....and I can't wait to find out whom it is.
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Thats a good point about making your handicap travel. My old country club was not a tough track and it made my handicap a little lower than it should have been. My countty club now is a tough course and it makes traveling much easier. I know some will say course rating should balance it out, but it did not, example my old course you could push driver why right and still make a par, current course push it right and you are reloading.
 
Just re-read the #Grandaddy 2013 Live Update Thread over again for the 13th time. Hoping and praying that I get my ticket punched for the 2014 edition!
 
The handicap MUST travel, and on tough courses. My cap is 2 or 3 digits lower than I feel it should be simply because I know how to play my home course well, and it has a 72/137 rating/slope which keeps the cap nice and low. I've only shot to my cap or better on new courses a handful of times and that needs to change for me. Time to start trying more courses and leave the home course for the off-season.
 
One last little story about the playing your own score vs opponent.

A month ago I was playing in a match play event at my course (we have a lot of them). I was giving 12 strokes against a 16 handicap. I had easily my best ball striking day at my home course ever. Hit 13/14 greens during the match and my proximity to the hole was extremely tight. I made 14 pars with little stress and closed out the match on 14, 6 & 4.

Post match my opponent said, "man if you could have putted remotely well today you could have gone extremely low."

My response was, "Actually I putted great, left myself with zero pressure all day and did what I needed to do on every hole".

I made sure I left myself with the easiest pars all day, below the holes, etc. I left myself in positions where I could have been aggressive if my competitor did something, but it wasn't needed.

If I hit the ball like that out with my buddies, could I have had my career round at my club? Yes! However, with that mindset I could have been too aggressive to make the birdie putts when i didn't need to and gave away holes I should have won or halved with par. Especially considering how difficult and fast my home greens are.

Basically match play isn't about shooting a score. It's about beating your opponent.

Some days you just run into a buzz saw and no matter what you do... it's not going to be in your favor. Learn from those as well. #Chad and I got our asses handed to us by Ray and Harry during the 2nd round of theking. Harry got a bit of redemption for what ScottyG and I did to him & Buck in the alternate shot. Sometimes there isn't anything you can do about it. A guy is hot he's hot. Especially when there are strokes involved. You just hope you can do something to flip the momentum before it's too late.
 
#Cookie said:
Make that handicap travel....and put yourself in positions where you are under pressure, until you do that you simply don't know how you will perform in an event such as this.
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No worries there. I can play crappy golf anywhere! :act-up:
 
Just getting caught up on this thread. A ton of great topics being discussed & hopefully I didn't miss anything.

In terms of what I am doing to make sure my handicap can travel? I'm not taking anything for granted. Regardless if I am selected to represent THP or not, I am still meeting with my pro and constantly trying to fine tune my game. I want my game in the best shape & constantly evolve.

Mentally I've never been intimidated on the course or in anything I do. Even if I might be outmatched or face an opponent better than me, I never let them see me sweat and I will fight until it's over. I hate the words "can't" & "quit" & you will not see that creep into my game. I've always thrived on pressure & the bigger the situation the more focused I become. I also know I need to stay loose. I'm pretty easy going and tend to have fun playing and I can't shut down or start pressing because of the situation or pressure. I have to keep being me and let the chips fall where they will at the end of the day. I also have to keep my playing partner loose. I have to know how to motivate or help us get passed bad shots because it's done and over, you can't have them back & you can only focus on what you can control and that is the next shot. Stay within our games.

Finally, I will trust in my captain. He was selected for a reason & that is all I need to know. I will do whatever is needed & provide honest feedback to make sure I am utilized to the fullest based on my talents.

Thank you Harry for generating the discussion & it's appreciated. It's fun to read how others approach events & the different ways to manage emotions.
 
I used to play quite a bit of match play. I don't want to echo what everyone else has said, but it is definitely a very unique format in terms of who can win and how they can win.

~Rock
 
This thread got me thinking about my performance in match play. I always felt I was a good at match play. I competed in the SCGA team play events the last few years and just looked up my stats. 9-6-5 overall. One of those ties was one of the most grueling matches of my life. It was the first round of the playoffs and we were playing at the opponents home course. It was a windy/raining/hailing miserable day. I was battling all day, but found myself dormie with 1 to go. Paring the last hole for me to tie my match and giving our team the point it needed to advance was the greatest feeling I've every had in golf. Team events and match play make this great sport even better.

So Harry, we ARE expecting different results. There's a lot of us #basementdwellers, so we can assemble a team like you've never seen before. There's no stopping us this time.
 
I absolutely love match play because each hole is essentially a new round of golf. It doesn't matter if you take a 12 on a hole and your opponent takes a 3, you can still beat him/her on the next hole by one stoke and be back to even with him/her on the match.

The giving strokes/getting stroke concept can take a little bit to get used to, because it can be frustrating when both people take a 4 on a hole and one person wins because they are getting a stroke. One thing that has helped me in these types of matches is that on a hole where I have to give my opponent a stroke, I'll put it in my mind that I'm hitting my second shot from the tee box to their first. This just helps me focus on needing to get the ball in the hole in one less stroke than my opponent to tie them.
 
Mulligan9111 said:
I absolutely love match play because each hole is essentially a new round of golf. It doesn't matter if you take a 12 on a hole and your opponent takes a 3, you can still beat him/her on the next hole by one stoke and be back to even with him/her on the match.

The giving strokes/getting stroke concept can take a little bit to get used to, because it can be frustrating when both people take a 4 on a hole and one person wins because they are getting a stroke. One thing that has helped me in these types of matches is that on a hole where I have to give my opponent a stroke, I'll put it in my mind that I'm hitting my second shot from the tee box to their first. This just helps me focus on needing to get the ball in the hole in one less stroke than my opponent to tie them.
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Agree with everything you are saying. Got a good taste from #TheKing. My game may not have shown it but I really did enjoy it and getting over giving strokes is a tough thing to do but not impossible. That's probably the biggest mental hurdle...even bigger than having to make that three footer.
 
So anxious about this. Putting irons together last night talking to a buddy, this event was brought up.
Imagine this... Your name called. You now belong. 6 months leading up to the event.

Your life just changed, you're a #BasementDweller

I try to imagine what it would be like, how it would hit me to receive news like that..
 
Michigan Slice said:
I try to imagine what it would be like, how it would hit me to receive news like that..
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I'd scream like a little girl coming across a spider. Ok, that's how I usually act when I come across a spider, but instead of abject fear, it'd be total excitement instead.
 
Michigan Slice said:
So anxious about this. Putting irons together last night talking to a buddy, this event was brought up.
Imagine this... Your name called. You now belong. 6 months leading up to the event.

Your life just changed, you're a #BasementDweller

I try to imagine what it would be like, how it would hit me to receive news like that..
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It would be a dream. I think I would run around screaming and jumping for joy. After which I would then step up my trash talk to the #zoocrew ;)

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk
 
Michigan Slice said:
I try to imagine what it would be like, how it would hit me to receive news like that..
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If I were to find out while at work, I would probably do a lap around my office giving high-fives to everybody. They'd all think I was crazy, but I'm ok with that.
 
rbarthle17 said:
I really like match play as well. The struggle for me is that I am also trying to drop my handicap. I wonder if those two things are mutually exclusive. Not in keeping score (just play out your ball and count the strokes) but in mindset. Can both those goal be achieved simultaneously in good fashion?
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I think it's possible. I just finished up a match play round where I was trying to be conscious about playing my shots as I would in a stroke play event. Now on a few holes when I was down two I decided on certain shots based on my opponents and ended up scoring better.


The way to go into preparing for an event of this capacity is a little of both. Closer to the event is immersing yourself in Match Play type play.
 
Michigan Slice said:
So anxious about this. Putting irons together last night talking to a buddy, this event was brought up.
Imagine this... Your name called. You now belong. 6 months leading up to the event.

Your life just changed, you're a #BasementDweller

I try to imagine what it would be like, how it would hit me to receive news like that..
Click to expand...

I can tell you what it's like.

Complete and utter disbelief.

I remember opening the thread when it was posted and I saw my name. My immediate reaction was to close the thread. I honestly thought I clicked the wrong thread and I didn't want to get excited over nothing. I reopened my browser, relaunched THP, and made sure I clicked on the correct thread...

...my name was still there.

That is about when the heart rate spiked, the palms started sweating, and I started repeating "oh my god, oh my god, oh my god" over and over again.
 
Michigan Slice said:
So anxious about this. Putting irons together last night talking to a buddy, this event was brought up.
Imagine this... Your name called. You now belong. 6 months leading up to the event.

Your life just changed, you're a #BasementDweller

I try to imagine what it would be like, how it would hit me to receive news like that..
Click to expand...

I will tell you it's dependent on your frame of mind. I won't post my reactionary video, but suffice to say it was raw with emotions. I'm starting to wonder if I'm like That guy on the tour. A tear is eminent. Lol
 
T2GRN18 said:
I will tell you it's dependent on your frame of mind. I won't post my reactionary video, but suffice to say it was raw with emotions. I'm starting to wonder if I'm like That guy on the tour. A tear is eminent. Lol
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I have no problem saying I'd probably be a little teary.
If that makes me less of a man, I guess I am less manly...
 
T2GRN18 said:
I will tell you it's dependent on your frame of mind. I won't post my reactionary video, but suffice to say it was raw with emotions. I'm starting to wonder if I'm like That guy on the tour. A tear is eminent. Lol
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I am not ashamed to say I cry at everything so it would probably be one of my reactions as well. Movies are the worst my wife is always making fun of me for it.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk
 
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