When a Weakness Turns Into a Weapon

[okie]

Thanks for some of your background 3Jack. I found it particularly interesting that a life threatening illness brought you back to golf...more advisedly G.O.L.F. From personal experience I can tell you that it is futile trying not to do what you love doing! That of course does not change the fact that golf like Gary Player once said is "...a game of sorrows."

[Richie3Jack]

Thanks for some of your background 3Jack. I found it particularly interesting that a life threatening illness brought you back to golf...more advisedly G.O.L.F. From personal experience I can tell you that it is futile trying not to do what you love doing! That of course does not change the fact that golf like Gary Player once said is "...a game of sorrows."

Thanks for the kind words. While I was sick I often thought about two things in particular.

1) I had to get shots to help with my low blood counts at a particular clinic. The main customers in this clinic were cancer patients whose future was looking bleak, to say the very least.

2) My Grandfather, a WWII veteran who was awarded the Silver Star and was a member of Patton's 3rd Army.

I'm sure there were times when my Grandfather wanted to be in other places besides having to fight the Nazis and as bad as my condition was, I know the cancer patients would give just about anything to be in my shoes then and especially now that I'm healthy.

I can only say that I feel that I owe it to them to do the things I love doing to the fullest.




3JACK

[Richie3Jack]

Another milestone for me today. After a horrendous round yesterday (well, I didn't play that bad, but I had some of the worst luck you had ever seen --- even one of my playing partners said that I had worse luck on the front side than he had all year combined), I rallied back and shot (-1) 71 at a course where my lowest score was a 74. That doesn't seem much to brag about, but this course is 6,900, but almost every hole is uphill, with very small greens and tough lies. Even more gratifying is that I hit 15 greens. Such a tough course my best was only 11 GIR's (I've only played it about a dozen times). Lots of 400+ yard par 4's that are straight up hill and none of the par 5's are reachable in two.



3JACK

[GPStyles]

Nice one Richie.

On another site I frequent you are the subject of debate. Myself and another user (also on both sites) admire you and hold you up as what can be achieved by using TGM to learn golf.

On the site though there are people dismissing you because they see the US handicap system as flawed and a scratch golfer in the US would not be as capable in the UK.

I understand if that might be hurtful, what are your thoughts?

[okie]

I ain't Richie, but I have an opinion on this! The USGA handicap system has flaws, but so does the R & A. What makes Richies handicap credible is not only the gross scores themselves but also that he is playing a variety of courses, meaning he shoots great golf most places he plays. I am a plus handicap where I play regularly but take me to a couple other tracks around town say Golf Club of Oklahoma (7200 yards or so...75.something rating) and I turn into a 3-5 handicaper quickly! Sounds like a little mother-country envy!

[GPStyles]

I agree okie, my point wa sthat once someone breaks par on a regular basis it doesn't matter what their handicap is or what country they live in - they can golf their ball!

The nay sayers claim that you yanks can pick and choose which rounds you submit for handicapping.

I guess they are judging people by their own poor standards!

[Richie3Jack]

I am genuinely interested in the flaws of the USGA handicap system vs. the R&A handicap system. I'll point out a few things:

1. I played on a D-1 college golf scholarship. Not a lot of Europeans I know that had that amount of talent.

2. I took 8 years away from the game before getting back into it this January.

3. I had major surgery back in late October.

The club I am a member at owns 23 courses around the Atlanta area. I've played 15 of them and they are all quality courses that are pretty difficult. Actually the easiest course of them all (IMO) is a Fazio design called 'The Frog' and that has a 142 slope and has been the host of numerous prestigious events. I'm sure Yoda and Luke have played it and can vouch for it.

With that, I play different courses constantly because I have the ability to and I think it helps my game immensely. The past 2 weeks alone I've played 6 different courses. And next week I plan on playing 2 courses I've never played before. So I'm certainly 'taking it on the road.'

Most of my problems with the USGA's rating system is how they rank the handicap holes (almost always rank the par 5's the hardest and the par 3's the easiest, when they should rank them by average score over par in tournaments) and I think the slope rating is usually off. And in my case, most of the courses have had too LOW of a course slope IMO.

I really challenge anybody to go out and play Hamilton Mill in Dacula, GA. It is a tough track. Or Bentwater GC in Acworth, GA. Or Windermere in Cumming, GA. Heron Bay GC in Locust Grove, GA recently held the Atlanta Open there and former Tour player Dewitt Weaver couldn't break 80 there. I shot 76 there about 3 weeks ago (75.3 handicap, 7300 from the tips).

I play them all, from the tips and have scored as low as 67 on these courses and had three consecutive rounds in the 60's not too long ago.

I'm not really offended by the thought of dismissing the US handicap system and thus questioning my ability to a degree. But, I think it's a bit short sighted unless you've played the courses I play and shot scores similar to mine or better than I have.





3JACK