[Andrew Thomson]

Chris and Thommo,

If Daly has a short game and a hot putter,then where is he?

In rehab (polishing the claret jug and the wannamaker trophy)

[Chris Kane]

In rehab (polishing the claret jug and the wannamaker trophy)

Not a bad return at all for a bloke with no short game.

Mark still hasn't answered my question about whether he saw Watson at Huntingdale.  He must have been watching a different player if he thinks he hit driver everywhere.  

[Mark_F]

In rehab (polishing the claret jug and the wannamaker trophy)

Not a bad return at all for a bloke with no short game.

And how long ago were those wins exactly?  15 and 11 years?  For much of the 1990s Daly was the leading driver on tour.  How many times did he win during those years?

And where did I say I saw Watson hit driver everywhere?  I didn't.  But he sure used it a lot during the round I followed him, on much narrower holes than Royal Melbourne's.

But maybe I just don't know the difference between a rescue club and a driver.

[Jeff_Brauer]

There is an article on Travelgolf.com today about a guy whose high school golf coach made them play from the forward tees a few times a year to prove to them that extra distance wouldn't lower their scores if they had no short game......

BTW, my son Andrew - 58th ranked junior golfer in 2006 according to JWCT (?) but also called Fred Funk by his teammates for his "paltry" 270 yard driving distances with great accuracy, is not a fan of the Rawls course for this reason.  He happend to mention it yesterday, when he beat a guy in his group at Lakewood CC in Dallas 69-75, when that guy beat him by a similar score at Rawls in Regionals.  He attributed that to the wide fairways and "Bombers Paradise" style of the layout that made him uncompetitive there.

For all this group touts wide fairways, it seems to be a fact that the advantages of strategy gained by wide fw are actually negated in many ways if too wide.  At the very least, most courses should have a mix of fw widths, IHMO, for more playing interest.

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

Thanks to all for your responses.

Given my short leash, I am confined to the Continental U.S. (Moonah sounds like fun!)

I am anticipating being in Chicago on Thursday, August 17th.  While I don't have the connections to get on Shoreacres, I propose a trip to The Glen.  

Shivas, you are cordially invited to join me as are any other gorillas in our standard issue "Grip and Rip it Boxer Shorts".

I personally like The Trophy Club in Indiana - especially when the wind is ripping.  I played it for the second time during this year's Final Four from the tips in tornadic type conditions and had a blast (Pun fully inntended).

To the board - I am not advocating Bomp and Chop as the preferred style of golf, rather it fits my game right now.  My home course is a 6,800 yard parkland placer type course where driver is never required.  I can appreciate the thinking placement game specialized at Harbour Town and Colonial in Texas.  Yet, to bastardize a quote of one of our Patriots, "I am yearning to breathe free".

Some other courses that I have played that fit the "Ready, Fire, Aim" strategy:

1) Hampton Hall in S.C. (Just keep it between the trees)
2) TPC Scottsdale
3) Talking Stick North (Any course with a 260 Par is fine by me)
4) Chardonay (Played it before all of the 9's were done.  200 yard chasm carries - bring it on!)
5) Fernandina Beach Municipal (North and South)

Who wants to unleash the beast on 8/17 in the am and then head to the U.S. PGA?

JWK

[Andrew Thomson]

There is an article on Travelgolf.com today about a guy whose high school golf coach made them play from the forward tees a few times a year to prove to them that extra distance wouldn't lower their scores if they had no short game....

Aus Golf Digest ran an article where 3 blokes played a round with Scott Hend at NSW.  One off 8, one off 14 and one of 21.  On each hole other than Par 3's they used Scott Hend's tee shot and then they were on their own from there.  The bloke off 21 was about 70 and had an excellent short game and shot in the mid 80's.  The other two off 8 and 14 respectively, shot 90+ from memory.

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

I hosted a group at the FBR Pro-Am at their fun day at the Grayhawk Raptor course.  The format was modified scramble, or move the ball to the best tee shot and play the course in from that tee shot.

We posted a two ball best ball net of -34.

The 20 hcp shot a 79.  The 19 hcp had 76.

Of course, when you are left with 30 yards on the par 4's and are hitting 8 irons into par 5's, you will tend to score better.

JWK

[David Wigler]

For all this group touts wide fairways, it seems to be a fact that the advantages of strategy gained by wide fw are actually negated in many ways if too wide.  

Jeff, don't tell that to my friend Dave M.  He thinks there are infinite strategic decisions to be made when the player is "confronted" by ultra-wide fairways.  

Glad you said that, not me!!

[Tim Gavrich]

1) Hampton Hall in S.C. (Just keep it between the trees)

Amen to that.  I'm playing there in a few weeks in a tournament, and I'll be interested to see how my 50 yard advantage over my 2005 Summer self (thank you TaylorMade r7) will allow me to play the course differently.  I just hope the faux-Mediterranean style houses that have been built in the last year haven't made the course too narrow.

Really odd how the home hole is the only one where you need to worry about a moderately misdirected teeshot.  Kinda takes away from it.

[ChipOat]

Meadowbrook (Long Island) - you can really "let the big dog eat" there.

Not any lay-ups at Baltusrol Lower that I can remember, either.  Pretty much let 'er rip there, too.

[Jim Nugent]

Tim -- you hit the ball 50 yards longer this year than last?  

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