2008 Citizen Amateur

[mjf]

#2 was blue, #7 was gold, #13 was about 10 paces forward from the gold marker, and #16 was blue. #10 was blue, but I can't remember any other holes that weren't gold... Am I getting that old already??

#2, #5, #7, #10, #12, #13, #16 were all from the blues.

[Riddell]

what a frustrating day..
+2 for the day (2 three putts) going into #9, then i pull off a SIX putt for an 8... I had a mental break down basically could not get the ball up that big ridge... rough back nine with a triple on #12, finished with 42-42 for 84. Definitely hard on the confidence, especially hitting 12 greens. good thing i had a caddie or it would have gone a lot more south

[jvincent]

That's a tough break. I don't feel so bad about my 4-putt now though.

[gbower]

The cut ended up being 163. It seemed like a tough day out there for a lot. I was sure kept busy on the back nine with loootttttssss of rulings.

[jvincent]

I'm guessing there were a lot on #15.

[mjf]

2nd round scores are up: http://www.flagstick.com/ottawa_amateur/mens_scores.htm

[jvincent]

Scoring average for round two was 84.

Methinks the rating and slope of LM needs some adjusting.

[mjf]

The cut ended up being 163. It seemed like a tough day out there for a lot. I was sure kept busy on the back nine with loootttttssss of rulings.

Can you give us some examples?

[mjf]

Scoring average for round two was 84.

Methinks the rating and slope of LM needs some adjusting.

Things are definitely askew when Talon is 74.2/132 from the tips and Loch March is 71.6/129.

[gbower]

The best one was:

On 12 a guy hits his second shot and hits a goose. His ball was then deflected into the hazard and he said "I guess I'm f---ked" and all I could say was "yup" and he said the damn thing hardly flinched. There were lots on 15 with the water right and hazard and OB left. On 10 a couple lost in the casual water left off the tee and lots hitting the hill right and going in the water. #13 had a few hitting the rocks or landing just over the hazard and spinning back in. It was my busiest day for rules but interesting.

[jvincent]

On 12 a guy hits his second shot and hits a goose. His ball was then deflected into the hazard and he said "I guess I'm f---ked" and all I could say was "yup" and he said the damn thing hardly flinched.

Now that's funny.

[Indio]

2nd round scores are up: http://www.flagstick.com/ottawa_amateur/mens_scores.htm

Congrats mjf.... some steady golfing out of you.....

[Bouche]

Well....I guessed it would be around 163.

I played the back 9 (my front nine) pretty well. Shot 40 with 5 pars and 4 bogeys (2 three putts).

I make my way to the front nine and the first 3 holes I three putted my way to bogeys.

I get onto 5 and thats where the fun started for me .

Topped my drive into the bunker on the right (1). Hit 7 Iron out and it hooked hard into the bushes on the left (2). Found it in weeds about 4 feet high. Somehow it only took me 2 shots to get out back onto the fairway (4). 200 in I hit my 7 iron and it faded over the OB fence pin high (6). Hit 7 iron again and went right again!(7)!! The ball was about 3 feet from going OB but I didnt have a backswing so I chopped it 4 feet so I could get a swing (8). Flubbed my chip from about 15 yards (9). Chipped on and one putted for an 11!!!!!

There goes any hopes for me. 6-7-8-9 I was +1 for a solid 40-47--87.

MY total was 167 and considering I missed the cut by 4 with an 11 at LM and 2 quads at talon only makes me think that I might need to work on my focus before anything else.

I hit the ball extremely well but I just seemed to lose focus on certain shots. Didnt fully take my time. Its not a race but when we had one guy in our group WD after 9 we were only 2 and nobody was in front of us. We rushed the back nine....I think we played it in 2 hours even with our booming 47 and 45's.

MJF thats a solid score out there today. Good luck in the rest and STAY FOCUSED!!!! haha

I think I am going to start writing something on my ball so that I remember to think before I swing!


Anyways thats my rant and good luck to all that made the cut. Back to the range for me!

[bbad]

That's too bad Matt....Maybe I'll see you out there next year. Gonna have to tell the wife that I'm playing next year. This sounds like too much fun to miss. ()#)'d by a goose....

As for focusing, just incorporate it in your pre-shot routine. Will become automatic.

Well....I guessed it would be around 163.

I played the back 9 (my front nine) pretty well. Shot 40 with 5 pars and 4 bogeys (2 three putts).

I make my way to the front nine and the first 3 holes I three putted my way to bogeys.

I get onto 5 and thats where the fun started for me .

Topped my drive into the bunker on the right (1). Hit 7 Iron out and it hooked hard into the bushes on the left (2). Found it in weeds about 4 feet high. Somehow it only took me 2 shots to get out back onto the fairway (4). 200 in I hit my 7 iron and it faded over the OB fence pin high (6). Hit 7 iron again and went right again!(7)!! The ball was about 3 feet from going OB but I didnt have a backswing so I chopped it 4 feet so I could get a swing (8). Flubbed my chip from about 15 yards (9). Chipped on and one putted for an 11!!!!!

There goes any hopes for me. 6-7-8-9 I was +1 for a solid 40-47--87.

MY total was 167 and considering I missed the cut by 4 with an 11 at LM and 2 quads at talon only makes me think that I might need to work on my focus before anything else.

I hit the ball extremely well but I just seemed to lose focus on certain shots. Didnt fully take my time. Its not a race but when we had one guy in our group WD after 9 we were only 2 and nobody was in front of us. We rushed the back nine....I think we played it in 2 hours even with our booming 47 and 45's.

MJF thats a solid score out there today. Good luck in the rest and STAY FOCUSED!!!! haha

I think I am going to start writing something on my ball so that I remember to think before I swing!


Anyways thats my rant and good luck to all that made the cut. Back to the range for me!

[jvincent]

As for focusing, just incorporate it in your pre-shot routine. Will become automatic.

It's more than just that. Reading Matt's description above there may have been a couple of times where taking an unplayable would have been a better option.

I know in my group one of my FC's had a lie where he was just off the fairway but under some overhanging branches that made it tough to get at the ball. He ended up taking four to get out. If he had taken an unplayable he would have been in the fairway (or very close to it) but more importantly clear of the trees.

I wanted to tell him that before he played, but of course that would have been advice. I asked him as we were approaching the green if he had considered taking an unplayable and he basically said "DOH! What was I thinking!"

I've done this in the past, i.e. hack away without considering all my options, and I'm usually much better about taking an unplayable when the situation is bad.

[jeffc]

didn't one of the leaders from day 1 take a 13 on #6 and more or less played himself out of contention doing a similar thing?

[jvincent]

Yes, one of the first round leaders took a 13 on #6. It didn't go into details but it sounded similar.

The online article is here: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/...7-f325053dea2e

The right side of #6 is a deep, dark, nasty place. I always make sure I don't miss there.

One thing worth noting, the article mentions that the course was playing tough with the rough up. I would actually say that's not true. The rough was normal height for LM and if anything they had the pins set relatively easily. Combine that with the fact that the par 3s were all playing considerably shorter than they can from the Golds and I would say the course was set up relatively easy.

To give you specifics, #2 was up by about 25 yards, #7 was up 15 yards, #13 was up 10 yards, and #16 was up about 30 yards.

[mjf]

didn't one of the leaders from day 1 take a 13 on #6 and more or less played himself out of contention doing a similar thing?

From the brief description in the article in the paper this morning, it sounds like he made his mistake by going for the green in 2. I'd love to hear a blow-by-blow of how it took him 11 more shots to get in the hole!

Here's the link: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/...7-f325053dea2e

[bbad]

What I meant was that if you incorporate your strategy into the preshot routine...where should I go, percentage of making it...solid swing thoughts, you have a better chance of making a good stroke and not putting yourself in those "hard to get out of" places. Also, as you say below, what are my options should be part of the preshot routine....You stop playing by impulse and start thinking your way around the golf course.

I might make the odd bogey (or double) , but rarely do I ever put myself in a position to take a big number, but they do happen.

Cheers

It's more than just that. Reading Matt's description above there may have been a couple of times where taking an unplayable would have been a better option.

I know in my group one of my FC's had a lie where he was just off the fairway but under some overhanging branches that made it tough to get at the ball. He ended up taking four to get out. If he had taken an unplayable he would have been in the fairway (or very close to it) but more importantly clear of the trees.

I wanted to tell him that before he played, but of course that would have been advice. I asked him as we were approaching the green if he had considered taking an unplayable and he basically said "DOH! What was I thinking!"

I've done this in the past, i.e. hack away without considering all my options, and I'm usually much better about taking an unplayable when the situation is bad.

[jvincent]

I get what you are saying now. I thought you were talking about pre-shot as in directly over the ball ready to hit.

I do the "what should I do next" analysis when I'm walking to my ball. Those who have played with caddied for me in the past will be shocked to hear that in both rounds of the Citizen I actually chose to lay-up from a so-so position instead of trying to force a perfect shot. Hell can now freeze over I guess.

I made bogey both times, missed the par putts, but took the big number out of play. Oddly enough all my big numbers this year came either from the middle of the fairway or the tee box on a par 3. Yes, my iron play stinks. And a couple of brain cramps with the putter didn't help either.

[PEI Golfing]

Things are definitely askew when Talon is 74.2/132 from the tips and Loch March is 71.6/129.

Sure looks like it...............Final Round at The Marshes which is 74.0/132 from tips...........same as Talon......???? Do not think I need to ask which course you would find more challenging..........

[jvincent]

The Marshes is not as hard as Loch March.

Wide open fairways you could land a plane on, relatively easy par 3s and 4s (except for 18), no real trouble off the tee. Yes, it is long, but the par 5's are the main contributor to that.

[jeffc]

I personally play better at LM than the Marshes. Not sure why, perhaps its a preference for the course. I also play well at Stonebridge. I rarely play well at the marshes or Eagle Creek.

[jvincent]

We're straying off topic, but do you usually cart or walk? If you are a walker that could be why you don't play well at the Marshes.

[jeffc]

i cart the marshes...never walked it. I just find a number of holes that don't set up well for me and 2 and 4 kill me every time. not sure what it is, but i struggle out there.

[jeffc]

i get where you're coming from now....yes, that could be it.

[PEI Golfing]

The Marshes is not as hard as Loch March.

Wide open fairways you could land a plane on, relatively easy par 3s and 4s (except for 18), no real trouble off the tee. Yes, it is long, but the par 5's are the main contributor to that.

Would have to disagree........I play The Marshes 60 to 70 rounds a year and play Loch March a few times. Find Loch March much more manageable. You forgot to mention Marshes #2 hole at over 600 yards which can really screw your round if the wind is blowing. Guess we will have to compare the scores from Round 2 and the Final Round at The Marshes............

[jvincent]

That won't be a valid comparison because the field will be very different for the final round compared to the first two.

Yes, #2 is a long hole. Remember to bail left and it's easy. No such bailout on #15 at LM with OB all the way down the left and water/forest on the right. And it's 550 yards up the hill.

[PEI Golfing]

That won't be a valid comparison because the field will be very different for the final round compared to the first two.

Yes, #2 is a long hole. Remember to bail left and it's easy. No such bailout on #15 at LM with OB all the way down the left and water/forest on the right. And it's 550 yards up the hill.

It will be a valid comparison for the remaining guys in the field. We can compare their Final Round vs 2nd Round at Loch March.

If you think #2 is easy then ask Thunder how many balls he lost on average at the Marshes last year............See Thunder's post from last July http://forum.ottawagolf.com/showpost...1&postcount=32

Keep up the Great Play Thunder !!!

[Bouche]

It's more than just that. Reading Matt's description above there may have been a couple of times where taking an unplayable would have been a better option.

I know in my group one of my FC's had a lie where he was just off the fairway but under some overhanging branches that made it tough to get at the ball. He ended up taking four to get out. If he had taken an unplayable he would have been in the fairway (or very close to it) but more importantly clear of the trees.

I wanted to tell him that before he played, but of course that would have been advice. I asked him as we were approaching the green if he had considered taking an unplayable and he basically said "DOH! What was I thinking!"

I've done this in the past, i.e. hack away without considering all my options, and I'm usually much better about taking an unplayable when the situation is bad.

In this case with the 11 I should have taken the unplayable when my ball was next to the fence but as for being in the long weeds there was no place to take an unplayable.

My focus is getting better every year. I guess it comes with age . when i was a junior i had terrible golf management.

I really worked on my focus and preshot routine today at the course and it really helped me. looking at club selection (more club in most cases), my setup, keeping my left shoulder more open because lately I have been missing right, my tempo and simply my focus in general. It worked really well and although a little late....I think im back on the right track with my game!!

thanks for the re-installment of my confidence guys!!