Question:
The reason my VW Jetta is excused from super market trips is because the Bag Boy pull cart and clubs pretty much take up all the trunk space. I was going to ask Santa for one of the three wheeled Sun Mountain carts but he blew his budget.
Hmmmm…Santa has a budget? who’d thunk! 
Hit ‘em Good!!! JB Dave Clary/Corpus Christi,TX http://www.geocities.com/texasp38 RSG Roll Call http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/claryd.htm
Response:
I used a couple of different methods (my own spreadsheet, a fairly simple program, etc.). For me, either method simply made me focus too much on improving the stats – and less on scoring well and having fun. I guess I’m just wired differently. If I know I’m going to be accounting for a number of different stats at the conclusion of the round, I tend to be TOO aware of those stats DURING the round. If I just focus on scoring, the other stuff just falls into place.
each to his own i suppose, i know what you mean. i love going over my stats just to see what has happened occasionly, but i dont think too much about it when i am on the course. now that i think of it if i realised my 5 iron has only a 20% chance of finding the green i probably wouldnt make a good swing at it ! though late last year i was looking through and i noticed my two demon holes. my average score on those two holes together was something like 3.4 over par. to make a comparison my average for the entire front 9 was only 1 over par. those two holes were killing me., and i didnt know it (well i didnt know it was that bad). the next time i played i had a phobia about these two holes, i didnt know whether to play conserveatively or take the holes by the scruff of the neck. i cant remember exactly what i did but i won the day, and ever since i have played the holes strongly, – bring the average down to +1 combined. for that big improvement i am very thankfull for the stats that i was keeping. — regards ‘ . . |18 . ‘ . | O . ‘o | . | / . | / / .’ | RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/blakem.htm
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Joe, enjoyed your "stats"! I keep similar ones on rounds played, 124, total cost, $1224 (keep this one from wife), number of rounds in 70’s, 69 (keep this one from playing companions), and number of courses played, 15( most are played one course where I am a member). I don’t keep track of how many different people I play with because it would be only about a dozen or so. Can’t find many guys that want to play with me the way I like to play. I stick with a few good friends that like to play early in the morning and can hoof around 18 in three hours or so. — RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/earleyd.htm
Under $10 per round? Wow! — Joe Cartpath WebPage: http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/reedj.htm
Response:
Shirt lifter? If that’s what I think it is, count me in! — Joe Cartpath WebPage: http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/reedj.htm
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – No but you are the Butt Lady - and too fucking cheap to by one. Don –snip As far as the pull cart – ever consider a remote cart? I got a new one this year (Dynamis) after trading in a Kangaroo. I’ll tell you – it really makes a difference. DON: I carry my bag, but then I’m not a childish, wimpy shirt-lifter. –snip
Response:
Uh, increased handicap, hurt shoulder. Or, was it hurt shoulder, increased handicap?
It had already increased before the injury – but got even worse after. Actually, I hurt the shoulder on purpose. I needed an excuse. — Joe Cartpath WebPage: http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/reedj.htm
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – OK, I probably keep a different set of stats than most of you. At one time I kept up with fairways hit, GIRs, sand saves, etc. It lasted about 3 months. what did you use to keep your ‘normal’ stats Joe? i use a stats program so its pretty easy to collate my score within a few days of me playing the round. takes about 10 minutes.. usually i dont even look at my stats when i have finished.. the stats do bore me a little. heck i know that i need to work on my swing and practice more, putt better and improve my shortgame. but over time i will be able to see if i am getting better or worse. if you were using your own spreadsheet or whatever i think you might have more fun with the stats if you get a nice piece of software to do the trick. FWIW i have been keeping stats for 2 years now and to compare the results from one year to another: buggar all difference. regards ‘ . . |18 . ‘ . | O . ‘o | . | / . | / / .’ | RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/blakem.htm
I used a couple of different methods (my own spreadsheet, a fairly simple program, etc.). For me, either method simply made me focus too much on improving the stats – and less on scoring well and having fun. I guess I’m just wired differently. If I know I’m going to be accounting for a number of different stats at the conclusion of the round, I tend to be TOO aware of those stats DURING the round. If I just focus on scoring, the other stuff just falls into place. — Joe Cartpath WebPage: http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/reedj.htm
Response:
Joe, enjoyed your "stats"! I keep similar ones on rounds played, 124, total cost, $1224 (keep this one from wife), number of rounds in 70’s, 69 (keep this one from playing companions), and number of courses played, 15( most are played one course where I am a member). I don’t keep track of how many different people I play with because it would be only about a dozen or so. Can’t find many guys that want to play with me the way I like to play. I stick with a few good friends that like to play early in the morning and can hoof around 18 in three hours or so. — RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/earleyd.htm
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – OK, I probably keep a different set of stats than most of you. At one time I kept up with fairways hit, GIRs, sand saves, etc. It lasted about 3 months. That was long enough to tell me two things. Those stats bore little relationship to my score (I’m about as likely to miss a green from the middle of the fairway with an 8 iron as I am to hit a green with a knockdown punch-hook, half swing 4 iron from the woods). And paying attention to these details lessened my enjoyment of the game. In fact, it probably hurt my game – I would get more concerned about hitting a green than about making a smart shot. So now, I keep some different stats during the year. Just for fun, here they are. Number of rounds played: 108, missed 24 "usual" opportunities – such as weekend days – due to weather, illness, and painting the house 
Cost: $2,421.74 Cheapest (other than freebies): $5.00 for a 9 hole course (Locust Springs); $12 for an 18 hole course (Davy Crockett – on a weekday) Number of freebies: 8 (those are always the best ones) Most Expensive: $84.53 (Cottonwoods at Tunica MS) Number of different playing partners: 170 Number of rounds played with another RSGer: 25 Number of RSGers played with: (Teresa Williamson -17, Ken Pitts – 4, Ken Brown – 4, Frostback – 3, David Laville – 2, 3Puttz – 2, charlie5266 – 2) Haven’t seen much from those last two on RSG lately. Number of different courses played: 37 (25 in Tennessee, 10 in Mississippi, 1 each in Arkansas and Florida) This led me to put a "Memphis Area Golf Guide" on my personal website. Since I played every course in the area – and most within a 2 hour drive – I figured I’d put the information to good use. As a result, I got several really nice emails from people who used it – and one, who moved to Memphis from Austin TX, has become a regular partner. Number of courses that closed immediately after I played there: 2 ( I didn’t do THAT much damage!) Weirdest road trip: 36 holes – 2 courses in 2 different cities on the same day (did this twice) How did I play? Sucked big time. Over the past several years, I’ve been very consistent in the 11.5 to 12.5 index range. I ended 1999 at 12.5, but finished the year terribly. This carried over to 2000, with my index immediately jumping to the 14 – 14.5 range (self-calculated to USAG specs – I’m no longer a club member). It stayed there most of the year, then took another jump to my present 17 over the past few weeks. For many years my stroke average has been either 85 or 86 – this year it shot up to 91. I wish I could blame the fact that I went from playing one course almost exclusively to playing many different courses this year, but that’s not the case. Really, really crappy shots are really, really crappy shots regardless of where you’re playing. I HAVE played better the last few times out, though, so there’s hope 
There were a couple of bright spots. I did manage to equal my personal best, a 74 (+3), that I had last shot in 1993. Did it on Father’s Day – only to find a dead battery (headlights left on) when the round was over. Funny how the good and bad in life seem to sort of equal out. Unfortunately, I only managed 2 other rounds in the 70’s ( a 77 and a 79) all year. That’s not too bad (I rarely visit the 70’s anyway), but the lack of rounds in the low 80’s was disappointing. Oh yeah, my worst round(s); 107 – twice, in fact, I had 9 rounds of 100 or more Most surprising stat: Played the entire year without a single club change (not counting the 9 holes played with the old Hogan woods, that was just an experiment). For a clubmaker, that’s pretty unusual – as I’m sure most of you will agree. A new Winn wrap on the driver was the only change. The other grips are still fine after about 130 rounds – so much for Winns being short lived. I did start using a pull cart in October – after a shoulder injury made carrying a bag too painful. I’ve made a mental note for this year: stay off of ladders (or at least stay ON them!). Hope all of you had as much fun last year as I did, but played better. Just wish the damn snow and cold weather today hadn’t delayed the start of my 2001 golf year… — Joe Cartpath WebPage: http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/reedj.htm
Response:
Let me correct my last comment Butt Lady. It should have read FUCK YOU! Even a twit like you should understand that. Don – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – No but you are the Butt Lady - and too fucking cheap to by one. A foul-mouthed little wordsmith is our D’Oyly Carte Don, The RSG juvenile who sports the eternally vibrating tongue…. 
Response:
Let me correct my last comment Butt Lady. It should have read FUCK YOU!
Why does he bother? What’s the point? What does he mean exactly? Is he getting aroused? Is that the penetrative language of an intelligent and eloquent American gentleman? Is he in danger of coming to a sticky end? — Felicity xx
Response:
No but you are the Butt Lady - and too fucking cheap to by one.
A foul-mouthed little wordsmith is our D’Oyly Carte Don, The RSG juvenile who sports the eternally vibrating tongue…. — Felicity I don’t intend following your example of popping-up from no-where with off-topic silly little name-calling…WILL YOU FOLLOW MY GOOD EXAMPLE BOY???
Response:
No but you are the Butt Lady - and too fucking cheap to by one. Don – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – –snip As far as the pull cart – ever consider a remote cart? I got a new one this year (Dynamis) after trading in a Kangaroo. I’ll tell you – it really makes a difference. DON: I carry my bag, but then I’m not a childish, wimpy shirt-lifter. –snip
Response:
Uh, increased handicap, hurt shoulder. Or, was it hurt shoulder, increased handicap?
Response:
OK, I probably keep a different set of stats than most of you. At one time I kept up with fairways hit, GIRs, sand saves, etc. It lasted about 3 months.
what did you use to keep your ‘normal’ stats Joe? i use a stats program so its pretty easy to collate my score within a few days of me playing the round. takes about 10 minutes.. usually i dont even look at my stats when i have finished.. the stats do bore me a little. heck i know that i need to work on my swing and practice more, putt better and improve my shortgame. but over time i will be able to see if i am getting better or worse. if you were using your own spreadsheet or whatever i think you might have more fun with the stats if you get a nice piece of software to do the trick. FWIW i have been keeping stats for 2 years now and to compare the results from one year to another: buggar all difference. regards ‘ . . |18 . ‘ . | O . ‘o | . | / . | / / .’ | RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/blakem.htm
Response:
–snip As far as the pull cart – ever consider a remote cart? I got a new one this year (Dynamis) after trading in a Kangaroo. I’ll tell you – it really makes a difference.
DON: I carry my bag, but then I’m not a childish, wimpy shirt-lifter. –snip
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How in the world did you keep track of the different playing partner stat? I played with a bunch but usually just someone I hooked up with. The usual at the end of the round and away we go. I keep my own score card – but never really bothered to write their names down. Something I think I will do next year. I just set up an Excel spreadsheet with columns for the course, cost, etc., and included a column for the names of the players – and the number of "new" partners for that day. Even if I’m just keeping my own score, I always write down the other players SCORES on my card as soon as we’re introduced. That way I can avoid that embarassing moment on the first tee when I say " Nice drive, uh……what was your name?". Now I just need a method to remember which guy is Jim, which one is Bob, etc. I heard somewhere that all the pot smoking in the 1960s was killing off brain cells…
Oops, make that "write down the other players NAMES" - not SCORES. I’m still working on mastering the skill of determining scores BEFORE the round. Could potentially enhance the family income. Don
– Joe Cartpath WebPage: http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/reedj.htm
Response:
Joe’s confessions snipped! <G My lips are sealed!! I stick with the (paraphrased) words of the late Henry (The Deuce) Ford II. "Never explain – never complain". Regarding the head covers – instead of sweaters for the Mrs. you can always use "all" three of them for your "legs". Don
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Joe’s confessions snipped! <G My lips are sealed!! I stick with the (paraphrased) words of the late Henry (The Deuce) Ford II. "Never explain – never complain". Regarding the head covers – instead of sweaters for the Mrs. you can always use "all" three of them for your "legs". Don
Maybe you misunderstood. I wasn’t looking for covers for my short irons — Joe Cartpath WebPage: http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/reedj.htm
Response:
I heard somewhere that all the pot smoking in the 1960s was killing off brain cells…
I hope there is a statute of limitations on brain cell murder. I may do that in the future. I went for the manual one for two reasons. It was only $49. It folds in a second and fits easily in a Honda trunk.
The reason my VW Jetta is excused from super market trips is because the Bag Boy pull cart and clubs pretty much take up all the trunk space. I was going to ask Santa for one of the three wheeled Sun Mountain carts but he blew his budget. Dave Clary/Corpus Christi,TX http://www.geocities.com/texasp38 RSG Roll Call http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/claryd.htm
Response:
Wow Joe. This and your last post about the rangefinders are great.
I’d rather be playing GOLF, if it wasn’t so freakin’ cold! If you eliminate the 8 freebies – your average cost per round is pretty easy to figure!
You mean I didn’t have to create an Excel formula to do that for me? How in the world did you keep track of the different playing partner stat? I played with a bunch but usually just someone I hooked up with. The usual at the end of the round and away we go. I keep my own score card – but never really bothered to write their names down. Something I think I will do next year.
I just set up an Excel spreadsheet with columns for the course, cost, etc., and included a column for the names of the players – and the number of "new" partners for that day. Even if I’m just keeping my own score, I always write down the other players scores on my card as soon as we’re introduced. That way I can avoid that embarassing moment on the first tee when I say " Nice drive, uh……what was your name?". Now I just need a method to remember which guy is Jim, which one is Bob, etc. I heard somewhere that all the pot smoking in the 1960s was killing off brain cells… As far as the pull cart – ever consider a remote cart? I got a new one this year (Dynamis) after trading in a Kangaroo. I’ll tell you – it really makes a difference.
I may do that in the future. I went for the manual one for two reasons. It was only $49. It folds in a second and fits easily in a Honda trunk. If I decide to rejoin a club, I’ll probably have to return to riding carts most of the time (most of the better courses around here require them. OK, three reasons… I may consider one in the future – I ain’t gettin’ any younger, and the hills ain’t gettin’ any flatter. I had a friend who modified one a few years ago. He built a small trailer for it that he could stand on, added a more powerful motor. It might have been an automotive starter motor, I can’t remember (see the above paragraph). Used a large automobile-type battery. He only used it one round, because it was noisy (and fried the electrics), but it ran like hell for a while. Of course he looked like an idiot. Wait…he WAS an idiot, I remember that much. Thanks for sharing. Don
I always shared – even in the 1960s — Joe Cartpath WebPage: http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/reedj.htm
Response:
Wow Joe. This and your last post about the rangefinders are great. If you eliminate the 8 freebies – your average cost per round is pretty easy to figure! How in the world did you keep track of the different playing partner stat? I played with a bunch but usually just someone I hooked up with. The usual at the end of the round and away we go. I keep my own score card – but never really bothered to write their names down. Something I think I will do next year. As far as the pull cart – ever consider a remote cart? I got a new one this year (Dynamis) after trading in a Kangaroo. I’ll tell you – it really makes a difference. Thanks for sharing. Don – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – OK, I probably keep a different set of stats than most of you. At one time I kept up with fairways hit, GIRs, sand saves, etc. It lasted about 3 months. That was long enough to tell me two things. Those stats bore little relationship to my score (I’m about as likely to miss a green from the middle of the fairway with an 8 iron as I am to hit a green with a knockdown punch-hook, half swing 4 iron from the woods). And paying attention to these details lessened my enjoyment of the game. In fact, it probably hurt my game – I would get more concerned about hitting a green than about making a smart shot. So now, I keep some different stats during the year. Just for fun, here they are. Number of rounds played: 108, missed 24 "usual" opportunities – such as weekend days – due to weather, illness, and painting the house Cost: $2,421.74 Cheapest (other than freebies): $5.00 for a 9 hole course (Locust Springs); $12 for an 18 hole course (Davy Crockett – on a weekday) Number of freebies: 8 (those are always the best ones) Most Expensive: $84.53 (Cottonwoods at Tunica MS) Number of different playing partners: 170 Number of rounds played with another RSGer: 25 Number of RSGers played with: (Teresa Williamson -17, Ken Pitts – 4, Ken Brown – 4, Frostback – 3, David Laville – 2, 3Puttz – 2, charlie5266 – 2) Haven’t seen much from those last two on RSG lately. Number of different courses played: 37 (25 in Tennessee, 10 in Mississippi, 1 each in Arkansas and Florida) This led me to put a "Memphis Area Golf Guide" on my personal website. Since I played every course in the area – and most within a 2 hour drive – I figured I’d put the information to good use. As a result, I got several really nice emails from people who used it – and one, who moved to Memphis from Austin TX, has become a regular partner. Number of courses that closed immediately after I played there: 2 ( I didn’t do THAT much damage!) Weirdest road trip: 36 holes – 2 courses in 2 different cities on the same day (did this twice) How did I play? Sucked big time. Over the past several years, I’ve been very consistent in the 11.5 to 12.5 index range. I ended 1999 at 12.5, but finished the year terribly. This carried over to 2000, with my index immediately jumping to the 14 – 14.5 range (self-calculated to USAG specs – I’m no longer a club member). It stayed there most of the year, then took another jump to my present 17 over the past few weeks. For many years my stroke average has been either 85 or 86 – this year it shot up to 91. I wish I could blame the fact that I went from playing one course almost exclusively to playing many different courses this year, but that’s not the case. Really, really crappy shots are really, really crappy shots regardless of where you’re playing. I HAVE played better the last few times out, though, so there’s hope There were a couple of bright spots. I did manage to equal my personal best, a 74 (+3), that I had last shot in 1993. Did it on Father’s Day – only to find a dead battery (headlights left on) when the round was over. Funny how the good and bad in life seem to sort of equal out. Unfortunately, I only managed 2 other rounds in the 70’s ( a 77 and a 79) all year. That’s not too bad (I rarely visit the 70’s anyway), but the lack of rounds in the low 80’s was disappointing. Oh yeah, my worst round(s); 107 – twice, in fact, I had 9 rounds of 100 or more Most surprising stat: Played the entire year without a single club change (not counting the 9 holes played with the old Hogan woods, that was just an experiment). For a clubmaker, that’s pretty unusual – as I’m sure most of you will agree. A new Winn wrap on the driver was the only change. The other grips are still fine after about 130 rounds – so much for Winns being short lived. I did start using a pull cart in October – after a shoulder injury made carrying a bag too painful. I’ve made a mental note for this year: stay off of ladders (or at least stay ON them!). Hope all of you had as much fun last year as I did, but played better. Just wish the damn snow and cold weather today hadn’t delayed the start of my 2001 golf year…
Response:
OK, I probably keep a different set of stats than most of you. At one time I kept up with fairways hit, GIRs, sand saves, etc. It lasted about 3 months. That was long enough to tell me two things. Those stats bore little relationship to my score (I’m about as likely to miss a green from the middle of the fairway with an 8 iron as I am to hit a green with a knockdown punch-hook, half swing 4 iron from the woods). And paying attention to these details lessened my enjoyment of the game. In fact, it probably hurt my game – I would get more concerned about hitting a green than about making a smart shot. So now, I keep some different stats during the year. Just for fun, here they are. Number of rounds played: 108, missed 24 "usual" opportunities – such as weekend days – due to weather, illness, and painting the house Cost: $2,421.74 Cheapest (other than freebies): $5.00 for a 9 hole course (Locust Springs); $12 for an 18 hole course (Davy Crockett – on a weekday) Number of freebies: 8 (those are always the best ones) Most Expensive: $84.53 (Cottonwoods at Tunica MS) Number of different playing partners: 170 Number of rounds played with another RSGer: 25 Number of RSGers played with: (Teresa Williamson -17, Ken Pitts – 4, Ken Brown – 4, Frostback – 3, David Laville – 2, 3Puttz – 2, charlie5266 – 2) Haven’t seen much from those last two on RSG lately. Number of different courses played: 37 (25 in Tennessee, 10 in Mississippi, 1 each in Arkansas and Florida) This led me to put a "Memphis Area Golf Guide" on my personal website. Since I played every course in the area – and most within a 2 hour drive – I figured I’d put the information to good use. As a result, I got several really nice emails from people who used it – and one, who moved to Memphis from Austin TX, has become a regular partner. Number of courses that closed immediately after I played there: 2 ( I didn’t do THAT much damage!) Weirdest road trip: 36 holes – 2 courses in 2 different cities on the same day (did this twice) How did I play? Sucked big time. Over the past several years, I’ve been very consistent in the 11.5 to 12.5 index range. I ended 1999 at 12.5, but finished the year terribly. This carried over to 2000, with my index immediately jumping to the 14 – 14.5 range (self-calculated to USAG specs – I’m no longer a club member). It stayed there most of the year, then took another jump to my present 17 over the past few weeks. For many years my stroke average has been either 85 or 86 – this year it shot up to 91. I wish I could blame the fact that I went from playing one course almost exclusively to playing many different courses this year, but that’s not the case. Really, really crappy shots are really, really crappy shots regardless of where you’re playing. I HAVE played better the last few times out, though, so there’s hope There were a couple of bright spots. I did manage to equal my personal best, a 74 (+3), that I had last shot in 1993. Did it on Father’s Day – only to find a dead battery (headlights left on) when the round was over. Funny how the good and bad in life seem to sort of equal out. Unfortunately, I only managed 2 other rounds in the 70’s ( a 77 and a 79) all year. That’s not too bad (I rarely visit the 70’s anyway), but the lack of rounds in the low 80’s was disappointing. Oh yeah, my worst round(s); 107 – twice, in fact, I had 9 rounds of 100 or more Most surprising stat: Played the entire year without a single club change (not counting the 9 holes played with the old Hogan woods, that was just an experiment). For a clubmaker, that’s pretty unusual – as I’m sure most of you will agree. A new Winn wrap on the driver was the only change. The other grips are still fine after about 130 rounds – so much for Winns being short lived. I did start using a pull cart in October – after a shoulder injury made carrying a bag too painful. I’ve made a mental note for this year: stay off of ladders (or at least stay ON them!). Hope all of you had as much fun last year as I did, but played better. Just wish the damn snow and cold weather today hadn’t delayed the start of my 2001 golf year… — Joe Cartpath WebPage: http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/reedj.htm