Tony-USOpen

[silverbear]

Just a weekend hacker.

That counts too... indeed, you guys keep the game going...

 

[silverbear]

You got that. And it was his short game that got him. Even then all he did was leave em short. That short game gets a lot of us tho don't it.

Man, if I could have figured out that short stick, I coulda been a contender...

I had (have) all the shots-- I can hit it high, I can hit it low, I can draw it, I can fade it... and sometimes, when I MEAN to, LOL...

But I watch the boys out on the tour rollin' in 15 footers like they're easy, and I get to growling... mind you, I don't 3 putt often, but I don't make many outside of 5-10 feet, either...

That wasn't such a problem when I was a younger Bear, I could always feast on the par 5s... even a 550 or 560 yarder was a 2 shot par 5 for me, unless I missed a shot... these days, though, anything much over 520 or 530 is a full 3 shot par 5 for me... nope, I don't get the long game birdies that I used to... nowadays, it seems the only time I make birdie is when I hit it gimme stiff...

I can't tell you how much I wish I would have had today's technology back when I was in my prime... back then, I could average 290 off the tee, using my old shallow-faced persimmon PowerBilt driver... in those days, the long driver on tour barely averaged 300 yards... if I'd had the one of these new titanium drivers, I could have averaged 305-310 yards, easy...

Which means even Tiger Woods would have only been about 10 yards longer than me...

Yes sir, I sure would have liked to had today's sticks in my hands, back in the early 80s... even my Ping irons are longer than my old Pings were (because today's clubs have 2 degrees more loft than comparable clubs back then)...

I could have been putting for eagle on some of those 580 and 590 yard par 5s!!! But as it is, I can only average about 275-280 off the tee these days, even with the benefit of modern club technology...

Which means that when I play the 693 yard par 5 at Rock Harbor, I hit driver, 4 wood, and I'm still a good 160-175 yards off the green, hitting a 6 iron or so for my 3rd shot... or if I catch a good lie in the fairway, I can haul out my 2 wood (which I usually carry for tee shots on tight, tree-lined holes), and get to within 8 iron range... 290 off the tee, 260 with the brassie, and I'm STILL 145 yards from the hole...

Longest par 5 I've ever seen... when you make 5 on that sucker, you actually feel good about it...