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Somebody please.....

• tiffer67 1,764 Posts

  Thu, Jul 7 2011 12:24 PM

  give me a solution to my complete inability to calculate the correct club to hit when the green lies well below the tee....

  I will give you the 3 holes that provide me with no end of difficulty when trying to assess which club and spin to use when facing them;

  8th at Bethpage.

  1st on Oak.

  10th at Congressional.

  The 8th isn't so much of a problem but only down to the fact that I have played so many rounds on that course. When the pin is at the back I have no problem. When it's at the front I always struggle for distance, my normal shot is to fly 15 to 20 feet past.

  The 1st at Oak I find particularly difficult, probably down to the huge variance in distances you can face. It can be anything from a 4 iron to an 8 depending on the wind.

  The 10th shouldn't be so hard as the other two holes given it's 21 feet below but I seem to regularly go either 20 feet past or land just short of the green in the rough.

  Does anyone have a way of calculating what distance the hole really plays? You'd think with nearly 5,000 ranked rounds I might have known this by now but alas it would appear not to be the case.

• suncity28 1,266 Posts

  Thu, Jul 7 2011 12:28 PM

  Front pin 8th. 196 yards... I hit full 190 full bs normally in there close.

  1st Oak. I like to - 5 yards on my shot with full bs. But that can change depending on wind (tricky shot) end up thinking hmmm.

  10th 208. 205 full bs gets in there close.

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Thu, Jul 7 2011 2:24 PM

  Tiffer-How do you actually compute the distance on those holes?

• tiffer67 1,764 Posts

  Thu, Jul 7 2011 4:46 PM

  YankeeJim:

  Tiffer-How do you actually compute the distance on those holes?

  Using the 10th at Congressional as an example, I had just hit into it when I posted the thread;

  It was 180 yards and the pin was 21 feet below the tee. The wind was 5 mph head at about 11 o'clock. My calculation is probably one that many use, 21 feet is 7 yards meaning the hole plays 173 yards. I hit my shot at about 170 with half back on it. The ball landed 20 feet past the hole.

  I realise there is no easy calculation because the closer the pin, the higher the arc of your ball from the shorter club. I just find when I go close on those holes very often it is by good fortune rather than a solid logic behind the club I've hit......

   

• mohuyu 891 Posts

  Thu, Jul 7 2011 5:00 PM

  8th Bethpage, front pin 196yds 29in below: I play 186 ish yds half back

  10th Congressional 208yds 27in below: 200 ish half b/s

  1st Oakie: mid/iron approach -5yds 3/4 b's, short iron approach i tend to divide elevation in inches by 3.

• trumpy959 99 Posts

  Thu, Jul 7 2011 5:09 PM

  Elevation basics that work for me:

  Add 8 yards for every 25ft of Upward elevation ie: 25=8; 12=4; 6=2

  For some reason Downward elevation plays a little differently @ -1 yard for every 10 ft ie: 10= -1; 20= -2; 30= -3. I like to round things off to the nearest 10 so for an elevation drop of 16 ft I would factor 2 yards less as part of my shot calculation...    

  hope this helps

• tiffer67 1,764 Posts

  Thu, Jul 7 2011 5:10 PM

  Mo for the 8th at Beth I usually play about 187 half back and likewise I play about 200 half back on the 10th at Congressional, lol.

  I suppose my real problem is not with the usual everyday shots to these greens, more when there is a variance in distance. The legend back 9 RG on Congressional is played from forward tees and the approach to the 1st on Oak isn't the same one time to the next. My memory is like a sieve these days, I think I am going to have to start keeping notes of what I have played for future reference...

  ps thanks Sun and Trumpy....

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Thu, Jul 7 2011 5:30 PM

  tiffer67:

  It was 180 yards and the pin was 21 feet below the tee. The wind was 5 mph head at about 11 o'clock. My calculation is probably one that many use, 21 feet is 7 yards meaning the hole plays 173 yards. I hit my shot at about 170 with half back on it. The ball landed 20 feet past the hole.

  I would figure it the same way you did but a couple of things jump out. How did you hit "about 170" and did you ding it? I ask because I'm trying to verify what spin does to the Burners into and with wind, especially what missing the ding does to the deviation.

  It seems to me that deviations in yardage on missed hits isn't always a lesser distance. Sometimes you get a big extra, particularly when wind is involved even though yours was a head wind. It's like those irons are so accurate when you nail them they make you pay for that in wilder deviations when you miss. 20 yards past the hole is a bit excessive so I'm curious about how you got the yardage.

   

• tiffer67 1,764 Posts

  Thu, Jul 7 2011 5:39 PM

  Jim I hit it at about 170 or at least that's my educated guess, given I took a bit off full power. I missed the ding late by 1 pixel. There was little deviation in the line it set off on and it landed a fraction to the right of 12 o'clock 20 feet over the pin.

• wildcat18racing6 420 Posts

  Thu, Jul 7 2011 5:46 PM

  I use....for every 3 feet down take away one yard. But alot depends on the wind. I might take more or less away depending on the wind. probably the same as you are doing i think. but now that i look at your message again. maybe it was the back spin holding the ball up and letting it go longer? I usually dont play back spin or very little on down hill shots.