Humbling golf experience
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Here is one: An old friend of mine was a retired Air Force pilot and flew his own plane...a double engine 8 seater. He use to fly around California with a few buddies and play golf. All in their 60's and 70's. So they fly to N. Cal. to play Pebble. The 3 of them were on the first tee when one of the assistants from the proshop comes up and ask if he can join them. They say Yes and just as one was about to tee off the Asst. Pro says to them, "Now don't feel badly as i am going to be a PGA Tour player one day...so whatever you shoot don't feel embarrassed if I beat you by 10 or so shots" (or something along those lines). Well, after the smoke cleared...the old Dudes shot in the 70's and the Ass't Pro shot like 85 or something like that. My Bud the Pilot says to the Pro, "Hope we didn't embarrass you and don't feel badly that we beat you by 10 shots or so".
LMAO True story as best as I can remember it
That kid set himself up from the very get-go! LOL... Score one for the old guys. 
Back in the day I would go out as a single, and occasionally I would get paired up with some strangers. It never failed - one of the first questions they'd ask after an opening tee shot would be, "So tell us - what kind of scores do you normally shoot?"
I was always hesitant to be truthful in those situations. For starters - not knowing these people, not knowing how well the played - the last thing I wanted to do was put any undue pressure on them to play to a level they couldn't play to. Or even worse - tell them I'm a 3 handicap and put undue pressure on myself! LOL I learned that lesson the hard way.
One day, I'm out playing at my club (many moons ago) and meet up with a couple of really nice guys, looked like pretty good players. And they were. They were ahead of me and I'd watch them hit the ball as I waited on them. We got to a backup a couple holes later, so they just politely asked if I wanted to join them. I said sure.
So they ask me, "How long you been playing, what do you normally shoot, etc.?" I told them I was a 2 handicap and had just shot 70 from the tips there two days earlier.
I shot 83 that day, and I can guarantee you they were both thinking "2 handicap my ass" then entire time. LOL...
Just better to let the game do the talking!
Everyone will have the good golfing day and one not so good right after it.
I also experienced good pairing ( or the opposite ) will influence the score. I tend to score better with tight paced good players and score worse with slow players and/or high handicappers. Of course, never was my best when I play social or business golf.
Something not related to the previous experience.
Today I played at one of the local public golf course, not my favorite but because one of the guys wants to play there so we joined up.
This golf course is notorious for slow play. Typical on a par 71, 6300-5700 yards ( front and the back tee ) takes 4 1/2 to 5 hours and weekends expecting near 6 hours round. Lots of trees. tall matured trees lined the fairway and water + bunkers.
Anyway, we were following the lady's day groups for the front nine. On Thursday the ladies play 9 holes and Tuesday for 18 holes. We were the 3rd group after the blocked tee time for Ladies. The first group following the ladies were fast players, but the group in front of us were very, very slow. It comprised of a 2-some riding the golf cart and one lady using the push cart and one other single carrying his bag.
I knew it would be a bad golf day on the first tee when I saw the group in front of us teed off. The best golfer in the group was this senior lady whom advanced her tee shot about 180 yards from the forward tee.
The single golfer sliced it to the right side ( whom played from the back tee ) the 2-some teed off from the middle tee , about 50 yards, then took them another 5 shots to reach the first green of a par 4 .
Not going anywhere because the ladies groups ahead were not really moving fast. Took almost 3 hours to get out the front nine.
It pains me to watch the 2-some , shuffle to their golf ball then shuffle back to their golf carts. They couldn't see where their golf balls landed so the other two had to point and direct from other side of the fairway.
Literally, the shuffle between the golf balls and the golf cart became longer and longer to complete.
I honestly don't believe anyone could enjoy this kind of golf experience.
On the back nine the lady and the other single golfer left the 2-some to join others ahead. Field Marshall okay the move so the group ahead of ours became a 2-some. We called the Field Marshall over to ask if there is anyway we could pass this 2 -some. The Marshall said " did you watch these two walk" ? " They could hardly walk between the golf ball and the golf cart" !
I answered, yes, but it shouldn't take more than 25 minutes to play one hole, since we have no visual of any group behind us, could we pass the 2 -some ? we have a good excuse since we were 4 and the 2-some were playing slower than our 4-some with at least 1 1/2 holes open ahead of them.
Anyhow, the two gentlemen were not pleased when asked on a par 3 tee to let us play through. One continued to hit his tee shot which landed about 35 yards forward. Ignoring the Marshall's request of letting us play through. So, we had to wait until they got to the green then the Marshall stopped their play to let us get on the green. I could see one of the 2-some was not happy and argued with the Marshall.
We teed off then went to the green and picked up our balls to continue to the next tee box.
Sigh !
For certain I would not enjoy playing golf if one day I could not advance the golf ball beyond 150 yards.
This made me more aware of how unusal the 81 years old I played with several weeks ago whom could drive over 265 yards.
Some day I'll get there, undoubtedly. And at that point I'll have to compromise the difference when I would rather play versus when I should play, based on my physical inability to keep pace with the quicker groups ahead.
I've not played a round in over 4:15 for so long that I'm completely spoiled. It would be very difficult to go back to the day when 5+ hours was the norm on the weekend, let alone during a weekday round.
First-world problem, for sure, but a problem to me no less. I loath slow play.
If we are lucky, someday we'll all get there being a super senior.
The question will be, if any golfer could not even advance the golf ball over 100 yards, what joy would they have playing golf during the prime tee times ? Pushed by the groups behind and open holes in front of them ?
We have the Men's Club Day (Wed. )and the Women's Club days ( both Tuesdays and the Thursdays ) blocked out from 8:30 - 10:30 A.M. each week during the Summer season
Maybe we should have a Super Senior Day with late tee times starting from 2 P.M. till 3 P.M. ? This way the golfers whom has mobility issue could take their time but not taking time away from other golfers.
Or somehow persuade the super senior to play "executive style " golf courses.
Proud sponsor of the Last Tee Golf program here. Geezers can teach you a lot if you are willing to listen! Many of my regular golf buddies are old farts.
Most of the time avid senior golfers are quick in my experience. Every now and then I will get behind a slow foursome, but it is rare.
I do not think later tee times would be better. The ones I know like to get out early to beat the heat.
Slow Play: Never bothered me....Never. But, the ones in my group were stomping on the tee, swearing under their breath, yelling at the group, sometimes even hitting balls into them (rare..but, it happens). I don't say a word...I am there to relax, not to get bent out of shape because the group in front of us stinks. I just go with the flow on the golf course. Just look around at each hole and wonder about the designer's thoughts. I play golf to relax not get upset because the group in front of me hasn't a clue.
No one got upset in my group except asking to play through.
I had to leave on the 15th because simply ran out of time for the day. Could not do a 5 1/2 hr. round even if I was calm and peaceful. With the traffic congestion these days, had to do a few things before kids get home. Certainly did not expect a 5+ hr. round during the weekdays.
I usually do not get bent out of shape by slow play, but it does mes up my rhythm. I rarely play well behind a slow group.
I will continue to work on mastering the space between my ears.
I used to be a slow player, until one day a fellow playing partner informed me that I was earning a reputation. I didn't take it personal. In fact - I thanked him for caring enough about me to say something.
I'd just joined the club, very first private club I'd ever been a member at... and my playing pace had essentially gotten slower from all the years playing on a public layout that didn't enforce pace of play, where 5-hour rounds were the norm. Well, you figure out in that situation that it does absolutely no good to get upset, because it ain't changing anything getting bent out of shape. I just slowed my pace down to compliment the hurry-up-and-wait environment, where we learned early on to not get in too much of a rush. We kept pace, albeit a slower pace. It was what it was... just accept it and do whatever you can to adjust.
And over the years, I guess, I just adjusted. So when I joined the private club, I had to make another adjustment. And it wasn't easy early on... I felt rushed, seriously rushed. My game suffered for a month or so as a result. But then I found myself playing some of the best golf of my life that same summer, playing at a quicker pace and not having to wait.
I will occasionally bring guests up to my current club, and depending on their level of skill - I'll make the tee time accordingly. It's a tough layout... lots of long holes, tough greens, and lots of trouble. I would never want to put my guest in a situation where he would feel any more uncomfortable than needed, so I usually avoid the busy part of the morning. We're there to enjoy ourselves, to enjoy the experience. We're not there to race around the course in record time, and we have a lot of morning regulars who feel like they're in a track meet.
My regular foursome generally finishes in 3:45-3:50, if we're not being held up. That's an enjoyable pace for us. We don't feel rushed, but we're not having to wait either. I guess that would be my ideal pace.
Slow play, however, just takes a toll on my game now. And I know that when the medal play championship begins in a couple of weeks - it'll be slow. It always is when guys are having to mark everything and putt everything out. I just gotta be patient and make the adjustment, however difficult it might be if the heat and humidity are kicking.
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Subsonic Proud sponsor of the Last Tee Golf program here. Geezers can teach you a lot if you are willing to listen! Many of my regular golf buddies are old farts.
Most of the time avid senior golfers are quick in my experience. Every now and then I will get behind a slow foursome, but it is rare.
I do not think later tee times would be better. The ones I know like to get out early to beat the heat.
64 years young here - Last Tee member, sponsored by subsonic! I am playing the best golf of my life right now and looking forward to a few more decades! BTW - I'd prefer to finish a round in 3 hours, thank you.
We used to have an "Old Fart" golf club at one of the local muni course.
It was a few decades ago, guess most of the original members were playing golf somewhere else now.
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265 to 275 yard drives for an 80 plus year old is certainly an aberration. We have some 80 plus year olds in our group who are more like 165-175. I'm 61 and crushed a drive the other day and measured it with my GPS watch and it showed a whopping 243.
An 83 year old with a 100 mph swing speed is not something you see everyday.
An overwhelming majority of avid golfers fail to produce more than 90 mph club head speed with driver.
I won't say this is not true.
If taken into consideration of the myth of "hold the grip like holding a live bird". " relaxed", "don't move your head", "lean back like you're sitting on a stool " .............. the poor average golfer would never reach their potential.
Comes back to the famous clause all teaching pro had agreed upon, It's almost impossible to teach the "feel" in golf. For an instant. Sam Snead's famous sentence , " hold the golf club lightly like you're holding a live bird". This is true to Sam Snead. Most of us failed to realize just how strong the Hill Belly is. Sam Snead is a very strong person, especially in the shoulders and arms. This came from both his father and mother's side of family. He said he got the strength from his father and his stamina from his mother's side. Plus he grew up out doors from hunting, trapping, chopping woods..... starting from an early age like 8. So, holding a golf club lightly from Sam's point of view could be correct for the average golfer to hold the golf grip firmly.
Each person has a different make up from their physical ability to their mental strength. Most of the golfers could not reach over 90 MPH with driver swing speed owes a great deal to the generic teaching of the "proper way " to play this game. Hence Harvey Penick don't let some of his students watch each other's lessons. He never let Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw observe each others lessons, for these two are different in the way they swing a golf club. Tom was a more a mechanic and Ben was mostly a feel player.
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Correct. Swing speed is determined by your fast twitch muscles and not from strength per se. Most people have an equal amount of fast and slow twitch muscles (thus the 85 - 90 mph average). People who can swing the club fast (100 mph plus) have more fast twitch muscles than slow twitch muscles. But they are in the minority unfortunately for most of us.
An 83 year old who can swing ~ 100 mph must've had many more fast twitch muscles in his heyday. My guess is he was up in the 115 - 120 mph range in his younger years. And 275 yards at 83 means he still has more fast twitch muscles than slow twitch muscles today, just not firing as fast as they once did.
I'm a little skeptical since no GPS was used. Golfers typically over exaggerate how far they hit it. Sometimes by a lot.
Bobby Jones had a swing speed of 113 mph. Watch some of those old Shells Wonderful World of Golf matches. They were hitting 300 yard drives back then.
I was blessed with fast twitch muscles. The trick is to know it and train them. Played all sports growing up and didn't know anything about it back then.
Found out about them from golf. So I'm 56, stand 5"5" and top out at 140 lbs with. 28" waist. Not exactly a physical speciman. But my swing speed averages 115mph. And I work on it doing speed drills in the off season.
I'm in the gym doing a combination of crossfit and athlete training 4-5 days a week. Not a big weightlifter...lucky I can bench my own weight. Usually squats and deadlifts.
Getting back to fast twitch, box jumps and explosive exercises are where it's at. I rountinely have 36" box jumps , 100 and 200 meter sprints in the workout. We do nfl things like broad jump...did 8'5" and lived teasing the 27 yr olds that were doing 7' or less.
Train, Train , Train....keeps my distances up which is my concern.