Over/Under on my first-ever round of golf

[Dynasty]

On Friday morning, I will be playing golf with pokerbabe, some other 2+2ers, and friends of the babe. It will be the first time I've ever played golf.

You wouldn't think I was athletic by looking at me but I think I'd surprise most with ability. Still, I haven't done much of anything but walking for nearly ten years. Since college, I just haven't made the time.

So, I'm putting the over/under on my first round of golf at 144. Where will you place your bet?

[blackaces13]

If you shoot above a 144 you won't be keeping an accurate score. You should give yourself at least 2 mulligans per 9 and just pick the ball up if you go 5 over par for any hole.

[southerndog]

Dude, golf's more addicting than poker. We'll probably see you on tour in 2 years.

[gonores]

I chose the under, because I see you making a decent improvement in your short game as the round goes on due to your analytical abilities, and that is where a terrible player becomes just a bad player.

BTW, don't take mulligans or gimmes, and play by all the other stupid rules. I swear you'll like the game more by playing the ball through the hole.

[Jimbo]

I say the under, 144 is a massive score. Plus it's gross! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Jimbo

[JTG51]

[ QUOTE ]

Dude, golf's more addicting than poker. We'll probably see you on tour in 2 years.

[/ QUOTE ]

You must not have read Dynasty's recent News, Views, and Gossip post about moving to Vegas. He'll turn pro after 19 holes.

[JTG51]

I have no doubt that you could break 144 after a couple of rounds or a few hours of practice on the range, but golf is unlike a lot of other sports in that natural athletic ability doesn't necessarily lead to respectable play in the beginning. A little bit of technique is more important than a lot of athletic ability.

Just keep one thing in mind during your first round. Hitting it forward is a lot more important than hitting it high and far.

Oh, and I really wish I could play in the Babe's tournament. Hopefully I'll make it to next year's.

[banditbdl]

Question, have you ever even been to a driving range?

If you truly have never even swung a club and you play by strict rules, i.e. no gimmes, no mulligans, take all penalty strokes with proper drops, counting a stroke if you miss the ball, then you'll go over 144 and it won't even be close. Of course proper golf etiquette effectively prohibits you from actually playing by tournament rules unless your group is the only one on the course.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
Question, have you ever even been to a driving range?


[/ QUOTE ]

No. I have only played miniature golf. But, I haven't done that for more than a decade.

[banditbdl]

[ QUOTE ]
No. I have only played miniature golf. But, I haven't done that for more than a decade.


[/ QUOTE ]

Then your over/under for putts alone is probably about 60.

[SinCityGuy]

[ QUOTE ]
So, I'm putting the over/under on my first round of golf at 144.

[/ QUOTE ]

I shot a 98 the first time I ever played.

But when I got to the back nine, things didn't go quite as well.

[nolanfan34]

Dynasty,

Congrats on heading out to the course for the first time. Not sure it's a great idea since you haven't played before, but whatever. Like some other posters said, you'll probably be a pro in a few years.

Now...I think I know poker a bit, but I really know golf.

If you want to break 144, you only need like 4 clubs. 5 wood. 7 iron. PW. Putter. Stick to those 4. DON'T use the driver. Even if you quad each hole (and in golf, quads is not a good thing /images/graemlins/grin.gif), and triple just one, you'll shoot 143.

No problem!

Good luck on the course...you're about to find out what a bad beat really means.

[brick]

I agree with 'nolanfan34'. His club recommendations are right on.

Also, just as the size of the pot is of highest importance, so is solid ball contact.

Relax. Try to make solid contact.

Don't focus on where the ball goes. This is similar to making correct decisions each turn rather than focusing on the results for the session.

[Ed Miller]

Looks like you set the line pretty well. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Rushmore]

Friday is when your life changes forever.

Are you ready for it?

Anyway, if you play by the rules, there's no way in hell you will break 144 if you've never hit a golf ball in your life.

But your life will change, nonetheless.

Because after Friday, you will be a golfer.

[DKNY]

Score - Over/Under 144. OVER

Swing and miss - Over/Under 8

"FORE" - Over/Under 6

Club(s) damaged - Over/Under 1

Balls lost - Over/under 5


Hope you enjoyed your round.

[blackaces13]

Swing and miss: UNDER (assuming Dynasty is at least of average hand-eye coordination and athletic abilty)

Fore: UNDER

Damaged clubs: UNDER although about the only thing more frustrating than bad beats is golf in general.

Balls lost: WAY OVER, this is a lock. I bet the farm on this one.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
Balls lost: WAY OVER, this is a lock. I bet the farm on this one.

[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting. One of my goals is to not lose any balls. But, that's only because I'm cheap.

I can guarantee I won't break any clubs intentionally.

[Porcupine]

Interesting. One of my goals is to not lose any balls. But, that's only because I'm cheap.

This is going to depend on the course you're playing.
If it is a course with wide fairways and little water, and the group behind you is patient, you should be able to not lose any. But, if there are lots of water hazards, thick wooded/grassy areas, etc, then you have almost no chance.

[Nepa]

Didn't you ever try a driving range?

How many balls are you planning on bringing? I would take at least 2 racks

[HDPM]

"You wouldn't think I was athletic by looking at me but I think I'd surprise most with ability"


Two words here. Charles Barkley.

Even with good athletic ability golf can be difficult. Sure, it will help. Look also at michael Jordan. He works hard enough at his golf and gambles at it, but isn't very good really. Better than Barkley by a lot of course. He has loads of athletic talent, but the people who think he could someday play the senior tour are nuts. He has virtually no chance. Some other professional athlets do have good golf games, but their ability is no guarantee they will be good golfers.

Regardless of your ability, going in cold, never even hitting a ball, will ensure things are very difficult. Almost no chance at the under if you follow the rules. As others have said though, you shouldn't follow the rules your first time out when others are on the course. GL nad have fun.

[namknils]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Balls lost: WAY OVER, this is a lock. I bet the farm on this one.

[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting. One of my goals is to not lose any balls. But, that's only because I'm cheap.

I can guarantee I won't break any clubs intentionally.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry Dynasty, I agree with blackaces, you're going to lose a lot of balls. For the record I voted for under on the 144 but when I read you hadn't even been to a driving range I became worried, it should be close. Good luck, and remember to post the trip report.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

My first round of golf, at age 16, was 129. I'll give you credit for being at least that coordinated.

My best round (at age 23) was 78. I've gone downhill for the past 3 decades. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[adios]

If you had just a couple of basic pointers and hit the ball straight you should be under 144 easy, easy. I'm assuming that the course is a public course that isn't too difficult. Figuring out the basic line on putts shouldn't be too hard. Get the feel of distance on the practice green. If you're going off in the booney's with hooks and/or slices the sky's the limit for your score /images/graemlins/smile.gif especially if the course has a fairly high degree of difficulty. I don't think you'll need a lot of golf balls with little practice because a newby from my experience usually hit's a lot of "worm burners" which are fairly easy to locate.

[andyfox]

Only us old-timers understand that joke. Good one! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[bernie]

If the slope rating on the course is 116 or below, you might break 144. If it's above, i dont see it. But ya never know. This is based on watching a couple friends golf for their first times.

Give youself a good chance and leave your driver and maybe the 3 wood in the bag the whole day.

If anything, enjoy the walk and scenery.

Good luck.

b

[sleepyjoeyt]

Excluding water holes, I have never seen a golf hole where I couldn't guarantee myself an 8 simply by using my putter the whole way.

Now, to all you golf enthusiasts, this may be blasphemy. However, way back when I first started playing golf, I used to use only my putter or my woods - I just couldn't handle any irons.

I took, and won, a bet using only my putter for the entire round.

Final score was in the 110s.

Not saying you should do this, just putting it out there as an option in case any serious $ is put on the line. A controlled, half-swing with a putter should travel at least 75 to 100 yards.

On the par 3s, this method would virtually guarantee no score higher than a 6.

[sleepyjoeyt]

This part about being cheap sort of makes me cringe.

I've read the posts about making it playing poker for 3 years, living a non-traditional lifestyle (no 9 - 5 job), etc. but hearing the "I'm cheap" kind of puts a pin in that balloon.

For me to play poker professionally and enjoy it, I would have to get beyond the "I'm cheap" stage. I'm not saying be a spendthrift, but I wouldn't want to consider myself cheap.

It makes me think of one of the other frequent posters (it even could have been you) who said something like "I don't have a DVD player but I might go and get one".

There was a time when I would not buy a DVD player because it seemed like excess and I wanted to keep my bank account high (for poker purposes).

I am so glad I don't do that anymore. I now play once in a while, and I don't forego anything like I used to for "bankroll purposes".

Yeah, I know this post probably doesn't make sense to many, but it makes me feel good to admit that I don't forego other things I enjoy for the sake of cards. Just a fun thing to do once in a while.


And, for your first time golfing, if you really try to strike the ball, there is NO WAY that you don't lose at least a few balls. As said earlier "bet the farm on the over of 5".

[andyfox]

I'll take the unders, only because you're smart. Some people might keep whacking away, but you'll learn quickly, I would think, the smart way to turn what could be an eleven into an eight.

[JTrout]

If you want to break 144, you only need like 4 clubs. 5 wood. 7 iron. PW. Putter. Stick to those 4.

This is great advice. If you're serious about giving best effort at breaking 144, I would add a couple of other tips:

1) Don't ever hit the 5-wood.
2) If you think you can get it on the green with a putter, putt it.
3) Before the round, hit a few chips with the wedge, hit a few long putts focusing on speed, hit a few 2-ft putts.

Good luck, enjoy!
JTrout

[DKNY]

I'm bored at work and this is fun.

Make Bogey +900
No Bogey -1100

Make Par +1800
No Par -2200

Make Birdie +45000
No Birdie -55000

Hole in One - No betting

Greens in regulation OVER/UNDER 1

Fairways hit OVER/UNDER 3

Total Putts OVER/UNDER 54

Ball will hit a tree/cactus -770
Won't hit a tree/cactus +640

Ball in water hazard - 990
NO ball in water hazard +820

Dynasty will swear -880
No swearing from Dynasty +770

Dynasty will play golf again -330
Never play again within a year +280

[Dynasty]

Pokerbabe picked me up at 7:00am this morning. Along the way, I was told we would be playing something called a "scramble". I had never heard the term and quickly learned that each member of my 4-player team would tee off but then all four of us would play our second shot from the best first-shot position. Then, out third shot would also be from the best possible position, etc.

So, the over/under bet became irrelevent because I didn't really play a round of golf on my own.

Those who bet the over may have been in good shape despite the ease of the course. I struck the ball rather well on the driving range before playing. But, I kept taking my eye off the ball on any long shot and I had many pitiful strikes. I didn't really pull it together until the back 9.

There are some good notes. I was the designated putter for my team and sunk about four ~five-foot puts and one very nice twelve-foot put.

The best shot of the day was on the par 5 13th hole. On the third shot, we were about sixty yards from the pin. My shot was nearly perfect and almost gave our team the only eagle of the tournament. My ball missed the hole by just twelve inches.

My team finished with a 69. The other team birdied something like five of their last seven holes and finished with a winning 66.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
Score - Over/Under 144. OVER

[/ QUOTE ]

No result due to the scramble.

[ QUOTE ]
Swing and miss - Over/Under 8

[/ QUOTE ]

I had only one swing and miss. It came on the back 9 and I was surprised when it happened. I had many truly pathetic strikes including one on the 16th hole which didn't make it to the ladie's tee. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ QUOTE ]
"FORE" - Over/Under 6

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know what this means. But, I never said "fore" and never heard the word said.

[ QUOTE ]
Club(s) damaged - Over/Under 1

[/ QUOTE ]

You really should have made this line 0.5. I didn't damage any clubs.

[ QUOTE ]
Balls lost - Over/under 5

[/ QUOTE ]

I lost just one ball. Ironically, it was probably one of my best tee offs. I could tell by both the feel and sound that I nailed it. But, I couldn't see where it went and nobody else saw either.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
For me to play poker professionally and enjoy it, I would have to get beyond the "I'm cheap" stage. I'm not saying be a spendthrift, but I wouldn't want to consider myself cheap.

[/ QUOTE ]

Saying I was cheap was a bit of a joke. I was the same way when I was an accountant. It's just my nature not to spend a lot of my money "frivilously".

I'm the guy who doesn't have a DVD player. But, if it makes you happy, I spend decent money each month to have asomething like 11 channels of HBO, 10 channels of Showtime, a8 channels of Cinemax, and a bunchy of TMCs.

[HDPM]

scramble is a good way to play an event like the pokerbabe classic.

Sounds like you did pretty well.

[BadBoyBenny]

As you get more experienced at hitting golf balls into the woods (like me) you learn that to us cheapos a lost ball isn't lost money. With enough patience you can often go into the woods looking for a ball you hit and walk out with 3 you didn't.

BTW I would never take the over on that bet as first time players usually don't make good enough contact to knock it far out of bounds.

[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
My shot was nearly perfect and almost gave our team the only eagle of the tournament. My ball missed the hole by just twelve inches.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is usually the start of the addiction.

b

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
My shot was nearly perfect and almost gave our team the only eagle of the tournament. My ball missed the hole by just twelve inches.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is usually the start of the addiction.

b

[/ QUOTE ]

Amen to that. Makes you forget about the 94 other crappy shots rather quickly. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Kudos to the PokerBabe for making it a scramble. And nice work on your first round Dynasty, it won't be the last.

[John Feeney]

[ QUOTE ]
Pokerbabe picked me up at 7:00am this morning.

[/ QUOTE ]

Holy sh*t, you can get up at 7:00am? I've been semi-officially retired from poker for 3 years or so and I still have a hard time getting up that early. /images/graemlins/crazy.gif I'm getting a little better though. 8:30 or 9:00 is not that hard now. Sometimes I'm even able to get to bet before 12:00! Well, not often, but...