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GolfClubAtlas.com => Golf Course Architecture => Topic started by: cary lichtenstein on September 17, 2022, 11:30:40 AM

Title: Your worst hole score
Post by: cary lichtenstein on September 17, 2022, 11:30:40 AM
My official worst score was at my old golf club in Illinois, Green Acres, no longer in existence. With water on the right and OB on the left, I teed off with a 3 wood and just barely hit it OB, maybe 6 inches. Both my 2nd and 3rd tee shots ended up almost touching each other. Since it was a money game, there was no picking up, my official score was a 13. My partner was not happy.


Even worse, was my first trip to Pete Dye's TPC in Sawgrass. I saw the tournament on TV and flew down the next weekend to play the course. When I got to 17, the wind was blowing in my face pretty hard. So I took out a 6 iron, hit the center of the green and it bounced over. I chocked down a little on the 6 iron for my second shot and that too hit the green and went over.


I went back to my bag for 2 more balls and a 7 iron. After those 2 found a watery grave, I went back to my back for an 8 iron, both of which balooned up and came up short.


Now out of balls, I went to my wife's bag for some of hers, to which she said "You don't have a club in your bag that will hit that green, get in the cart and drive to the ladies tee." Being the chicken shit husband, I did what she said, but if left to my own devises, I guess I would have pumped balls in there until one found the surface.
Title: Re: Your worst hole score
Post by: Carl Rogers on September 17, 2022, 12:17:58 PM
Why would anyone want to re-live such an occurance?
Title: Re: Your worst hole score
Post by: Peter Flory on September 17, 2022, 01:00:05 PM
My official worst score was at my old golf club in Illinois, Green Acres, no longer in existence. With water on the right and OB on the left, I teed off with a 3 wood and just barely hit it OB, maybe 6 inches. Both my 2nd and 3rd tee shots ended up almost touching each other. Since it was a money game, there was no picking up, my official score was a 13. My partner was not happy.


Even worse, was my first trip to Pete Dye's TPC in Sawgrass. I saw the tournament on TV and flew down the next weekend to play the course. When I got to 17, the wind was blowing in my face pretty hard. So I took out a 6 iron, hit the center of the green and it bounced over. I chocked down a little on the 6 iron for my second shot and that too hit the green and went over.


I went back to my bag for 2 more balls and a 7 iron. After those 2 found a watery grave, I went back to my back for an 8 iron, both of which balooned up and came up short.


Now out of balls, I went to my wife's bag for some of hers, to which she said "You don't have a club in your bag that will hit that green, get in the cart and drive to the ladies tee." Being the chicken shit husband, I did what she said, but if left to my own devises, I guess I would have pumped balls in there until one found the surface.


Cary, I witnessed Mark S (6 time club champion at GA) make a 13 in the club championship qualifier.  On the 3rd hole, he pumped 4 in a row OB before finally bailing out right with a hybrid.  He was even par on the other 17 holes that day. 
Title: Re: Your worst hole score
Post by: Mike Worth on September 17, 2022, 02:14:20 PM
I’m not going to post my worst hole but 2 quick stories come to mind.


President Taft scoring a 27 on Kebo Valley Maine’s 17th hole.


Earlier this week at Alwoodley, Leeds UK a member told me a story where a fellow member of his drove the famous par 3 11th and proceeded to 8 putt for a score of 9 on a par 3.
Title: Re: Your worst hole score
Post by: Greg Hohman on September 17, 2022, 03:09:29 PM
Good ones, Mike. About Taft, from an account of his 1909 visit to Allegheny CC in the club history: “…he was welcomed by a large gathering of Yale graduates in western Pennsylvania. One of President Taft’s classmates was O.D. Thompson, whom the President greeted immediately, demanding to know if he still hit the golf ball so far. The climax of the outing was a baseball game between the Yale men—played on the first fairway. President Taft threw out the first ball and retired with a sore arm.”


No mention of a golf score. The world may never know if he replicated, or surpassed, his KV 27.
Title: Re: Your worst hole score
Post by: archie_struthers on September 17, 2022, 06:17:23 PM
 8)


The yin and yang of the game was truly shown in a Crump Qualifying round at PVGC.  Joel Hirsch a marvelous am from Chicago made 16 pars an 11 on #8 and a 7 on 13 for 81.   


Never been there but done that!


(my worst score is a 13 )
Title: Re: Your worst hole score
Post by: Pete_Pittock on September 17, 2022, 06:45:15 PM
Medium length par 3.
Tee shot to edge of creek.
Chop out to edge of green
Lag putt.
Four more lag putts and picked up ball to let rest of group play.
Replace ball under one stroke penalty
Four more putts.
13.
Title: Re: Your worst hole score
Post by: Pete_Pittock on September 17, 2022, 07:02:51 PM
Medium length par 3.
Tee shot to edge of creek.
Chop out to edge of green
Lag putt.
Four more lag putts and picked up ball to let rest of group play.
Replace ball under one stroke penalty
Four more putts.
13.
That is about 15 yards per shot.  Compare that to Tony Finau shooting 60 on a 8098 yards course in Utah (7000' elev) which is an average of 135 yards per shot.
Title: Re: Your worst hole score
Post by: Tommy Williamsen on September 17, 2022, 08:26:11 PM
Fascinating. If absolutely no idea what my worst score would be. It would have been forgotten immediately.
Title: Re: Your worst hole score
Post by: Matthew Rose on September 18, 2022, 05:50:41 AM
In my first high school match on the varsity, I made a 9 on a par 3, with my coach watching. It was this stupid 220 yard par three over water and I rinsed three balls. I played the rest of the round with a migraine headache and shot something like 106.

I went back the next year and played the same course, and shot 81. It was quite cathartic.

Cherokee CC in Madison, WI, which is basically a giant sponge on top of a swamp. Wasn't really a fan.
I made at least two 10s on longer holes in competition, but they don't hold quite the same traumatic gravitas.
Title: Re: Your worst hole score
Post by: Ken Moum on September 18, 2022, 10:03:48 AM
Fascinating. If absolutely no idea what my worst score would be. It would have been forgotten immediately.


I know mine:


X
Title: Re: Your worst hole score
Post by: Phil Burr on September 18, 2022, 01:17:54 PM
Not my highest score ever but my ultimate scorecard wrecker.  The only time I played High Pointe, I hit every green on the back nine in regulation.  I two-putted eight times for pars.  On #13 I seven-putted for a smooth quintuple.  I wasn't playing back-of-the-putter hockey around the cup.  I tried seven times to hole the putt and only succeeded on the final attempt.  I'm sure in the moment I was cursing the great Tom Doak but I laugh about it now and welcome the return of his debut design.
Title: Re: Your worst hole score
Post by: Tommy Williamsen on September 18, 2022, 02:28:37 PM
Fascinating. If absolutely no idea what my worst score would be. It would have been forgotten immediately.


I know mine:


X


Good point. I have made that score as well.