OT: Nats, Wiz, O's, Ravens, Terps, Navy, Gtown, Mystics, Golf, Summer 2024 (Paris Olympics 2024 as well)

[Cush]

 

[g00n]

Horschel or Glover would be great stories. JT too far back, but a big day would be big for his Ryder Cup push.

Not saying JT wins just makes the playoffs.

just drained an eagle putt on 15 to get inside the top 70 and it now 7th in the tourney

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Not saying JT wins just makes the playoffs.

just drained an eagle putt on 15 to get inside the top 70 and it now 7th in the tourney

Glover looking to close it out…..

 

[marcel snapshot]

Made an eagle on 18 at Stonewall today. Inches from an albatross. Ready for the senior tour

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Made an eagle on 18 at Stonewall today. Inches from an albatross. Ready for the senior tour

Love that course.


58 for DeChambeau to win today…..crazy….

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Shot an 87(ish) at Whiskey Creek a few weeks ago. It was my first time there, fun course.

 

[marcel snapshot]

Whiskey Creek is for sure worth the money. Gorgeous views, great lay-out, always in good shape (with sand in the bunkers most of the time - an increasingly rare thing on public golf courses), nice clubhouse with tasty food and an outstanding beer selection. Courses like Raspberry and Bull Run are now aiming to charge Whiskey Creek prices without delivering that kind of experience - so I don't find myself playing them that often. Stonewall is a notch or two down from Whiskey, but it's a great course, and a good experience and you can get on without paying 3-digits.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Whiskey Creek is for sure worth the money. Gorgeous views, great lay-out, always in good shape (with sand in the bunkers most of the time - an increasingly rare thing on public golf courses), nice clubhouse with tasty food and an outstanding beer selection. Courses like Raspberry and Bull Run are now aiming to charge Whiskey Creek prices without delivering that kind of experience - so I don't find myself playing them that often. Stonewall is a notch or two down from Whiskey, but it's a great course, and a good experience and you can get on without paying 3-digits.

I didn’t pay for Whiskey Creek either which made it even better. Beautiful course but one big gripe: most of the sand traps were a haven for hornets. My group left a few balls in the bunkers because there was an insane amount of hornets buzzing around them. One hole we moved two balls on the green the same distance to the other side of the green because the balls were right next to a trap and you couldn’t get close to the ball without hornets buzzing around you. And these were not some little honey bees, these were big ass mean looking hornets. You always see bees and bugs on a course but I’ve never seen what seemed like an infestation at that level before.

I was also shocked at how much Urbana has blown up. I used to play against some Frederick County schools in high school twenty years ago and the whole Urbana/Linganore/Walkersville area was nothing but farm country. Insane the development that went on there.

 

[g00n]

I didn’t pay for Whiskey Creek either which made it even better. Beautiful course but one big gripe: most of the sand traps were a haven for hornets. My group left a few balls in the bunkers because there was an insane amount of hornets buzzing around them. One hole we moved two balls on the green the same distance to the other side of the green because the balls were right next to a trap and you couldn’t get close to the ball without hornets buzzing around you. And these were not some little honey bees, these were big ass mean looking hornets. You always see bees and bugs on a course but I’ve never seen what seemed like an infestation at that level before.

I was also shocked at how much Urbana has blown up. I used to play against some Frederick County schools in high school twenty years ago and the whole Urbana/Linganore/Walkersville area was nothing but farm country. Insane the development that went on there.

Those are Cicada Killers. They won't f*** with you. They and Sand Wasps tend to infest bunkers this time of year.

Cicada Killers:

Sphecius speciosus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

If you were being harassed by one it may have been hitting on you.



The smaller sand wasps are more likely to attack but only if you f*** with them or their nest:

 

[marcel snapshot]

Yeah, regardless of whether it might take something extra to aggravate them - wouldn't argue with anyone asking for a free drop.

Separately, is there a sand shortage or something? Trying to understand why bunkers on so many area courses suck.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I didn’t pay for Whiskey Creek either which made it even better. Beautiful course but one big gripe: most of the sand traps were a haven for hornets. My group left a few balls in the bunkers because there was an insane amount of hornets buzzing around them. One hole we moved two balls on the green the same distance to the other side of the green because the balls were right next to a trap and you couldn’t get close to the ball without hornets buzzing around you. And these were not some little honey bees, these were big ass mean looking hornets. You always see bees and bugs on a course but I’ve never seen what seemed like an infestation at that level before.

I was also shocked at how much Urbana has blown up. I used to play against some Frederick County schools in high school twenty years ago and the whole Urbana/Linganore/Walkersville area was nothing but farm country. Insane the development that went on there.

Whiskey is a nice course…..and my favorite kind of golf is free golf! I’ve seen those hornet areas myself….some scary f’ers especially when 15 are buzzing around a spot….there are some great courses around there….

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Yeah, regardless of whether it might take something extra to aggravate them - wouldn't argue with anyone asking for a free drop.

Separately, is there a sand shortage or something? Trying to understand why bunkers on so many area courses suck.

I know much of the Eastern seaboard is spending tens of millions of dollars trying to dredge the coast line and rebuild beach fronts due to erosion from all of the storms so you may be onto something about a sand shortage. Delaware beaches closed specific areas this season so they could rebuild particularly bad spots which I’ve never seen before.

 

[usiel]

I didn’t pay for Whiskey Creek either which made it even better. Beautiful course but one big gripe: most of the sand traps were a haven for hornets. My group left a few balls in the bunkers because there was an insane amount of hornets buzzing around them. One hole we moved two balls on the green the same distance to the other side of the green because the balls were right next to a trap and you couldn’t get close to the ball without hornets buzzing around you. And these were not some little honey bees, these were big ass mean looking hornets. You always see bees and bugs on a course but I’ve never seen what seemed like an infestation at that level before.

I was also shocked at how much Urbana has blown up. I used to play against some Frederick County schools in high school twenty years ago and the whole Urbana/Linganore/Walkersville area was nothing but farm country. Insane the development that went on there.

Mega-City One is the future. (bolded)

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Those are Cicada Killers. They won't f*** with you. They and Sand Wasps tend to infest bunkers this time of year.

Cicada Killers:

Sphecius speciosus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

View attachment 734151

If you were being harassed by one it may have been hitting on you.



The smaller sand wasps are more likely to attack but only if you f*** with them or their nest:

View attachment 734153

I support bees, I just don’t want them around me. Where I live I always have to be on the lookout for wasp and hornet nests. I got stung twice this past year… one was walking over a bridge in Old Town (I think there was a bee nest under the bridge and I stepped in the wrong spot) and one was sitting in a chair outside having a drink minding my own business and that f***er landed on my hand and stung me.

The issue with them only being aggressive if you’re near their nest is you rarely know where their nest actually is.

 

[kicksavedave]

Those are Cicada Killers. They won't f*** with you. They and Sand Wasps tend to infest bunkers this time of year.

Cicada Killers:

Sphecius speciosus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

View attachment 734151

If you were being harassed by one it may have been hitting on you.



The smaller sand wasps are more likely to attack but only if you f*** with them or their nest:

View attachment 734153

He's lying, they're murder hornets. Run, or be killed.

 

[g00n]

I know much of the Eastern seaboard is spending tens of millions of dollars trying to dredge the coast line and rebuild beach fronts due to erosion from all of the storms so you may be onto something about a sand shortage. Delaware beaches closed specific areas this season so they could rebuild particularly bad spots which I’ve never seen before.

My home course just refurbed all the bunkers so they're really nice. But I played a bunch of public courses this past week and every single one had shit bunkers. Like "do I want to risk dings on the face of my wedge from these boulders in this soggy dirt pit" bad. Plus the wasps.

The order of maintenance budgeting & priority generally goes : greens, fairways/tee boxes, rough, bunkers, cart path.

You can generally tell how much money a course spends on maintenance by working up that ladder in reverse.

Semi-related...I played Laytonsville last week for the first time in probably 15-20 years. I like the layout but when you drop 3 digits on golf, a glove, and a bucket of balls you kind of expect GPS on the cart, maybe some water on the course, or at least seeing the bev cart more than just once on the 18th fairway. At least the pace was good (under 4hrs despite being busy).

 

[g00n]

Anyway, forgot to get to the point on the sand...bunkers are that low on the budget/maintenance priority list because so much focus is on the shit that people use and remember the most, which is usually the other end of that list (greens, fairways, etc).

So in a golf boom like we've had the last 3 years there's little reason for most courses to worry too much about the bunkers. There are lots of new golfers who can't tell good from bad, especially in bunkers, and plenty of replacement dollars for anyone lost due to shitty traps. So they slip further down the capex list.

Why drop a big chunk of profit on bunkers when the tee sheet fills up anyway ? The problem with bunkers is you keep losing the sand and it keeps getting compacted due to erosion.

If you water and fertilize and otherwise prep the rest of the course without a single person setting foot on it, it'll remain pristine.

The bunkers otoh will gradually get worse and worse depending on wind & rain, mostly, but also because they have to be turned every so often due to animals, debris, etc. People heaving/tracking/raking shovelfulls of sand out of them only speeds that up.

 

[marcel snapshot]

Semi-related...I played Laytonsville last week for the first time in probably 15-20 years. I like the layout but when you drop 3 digits on golf, a glove, and a bucket of balls you kind of expect GPS on the cart, maybe some water on the course, or at least seeing the bev cart more than just once on the 18th fairway. At least the pace was good (under 4hrs despite being busy).

Haven't played Laytonsville before. If I go to that area, usually play Blue Mash. May give it a try. It's also within haling distance of 2 beer farms, so there's that.

All the MCG courses stopped providing water during the pandemic supposedly for health reasons - and they got a taste of reduced labor, maintenance, and incidental costs of having water available and decided they weren't going to do that anymore. The water machines they use produce water that tastes awful.

On the sand, some of the MCG courses like Falls Rd and Northwest actually have decent sand and you can use the bounce of the club to lead your entry into the sand and get more height and control on the shot coming out. But most bunkers are like what I experienced at Stonewall yesterday - closer to dirt than sand, and requiring you to lead with the edge of the blade into the sand, making the shot harder to calibrate and control

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Hate that shit….I should not have to chop my way out of a bunker. So much harder If you can’t get under the ball because it’s a dried out mud/hardpan pit.

 

[marcel snapshot]

Yes - pros get spotters that always find their wayward shots, and sand that always allow you to get under the ball via the bounce of the club rather than the leading edge. No wonder their scores are so good.

 

[g00n]

Yes - pros get spotters that always find their wayward shots, and sand that always allow you to get under the ball via the bounce of the club rather than the leading edge. No wonder their scores are so good.

LOL that and the fact that they're incredible players.

I got my ass handed to me in the club championship at my new course a few weeks ago by a guy over 20 years younger than me who could've played the mini-tours but decided against it. He's a legit +4 handicap and has won the championship like 8 times. I hung tough for a while but didn't have anything close to my A game so had no chance.

Seeing that kind of skill up close gives you impetus to change some things about your own game and removes the delusions you have about what's separating you from the really, really good players. This dude was 50-80yds past me off the tee and I'm not short. He hit these low wedges and short-mid irons that just found the flag and stopped. Hit a legit Tiger stinger off the tee on one hole that probably ran out 280 yds with a 3 iron or whatever it was.

Honestly if he'd made a few putts early on we'd never have gotten to the back 9.

He probably doesn't even see the bunkers.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

LOL that and the fact that they're incredible players.

I got my ass handed to me in the club championship at my new course a few weeks ago by a guy over 20 years younger than me who could've played the mini-tours but decided against it. He's a legit +4 handicap and has won the championship like 8 times. I hung tough for a while but didn't have anything close to my A game so had no chance.

Seeing that kind of skill up close gives you impetus to change some things about your own game and removes the delusions you have about what's separating you from the really, really good players. This dude was 50-80yds past me off the tee and I'm not short. He hit these low wedges and short-mid irons that just found the flag and stopped. Hit a legit Tiger stinger off the tee on one hole that probably ran out 280 yds with a 3 iron or whatever it was.

Honestly if he'd made a few putts early on we'd never have gotten to the back 9.

He probably doesn't even see the bunkers.

i loooooooove playing with high level guys….totally sick to see them golf their ball. No shame in losing to talents like that.

 

[g00n]

i loooooooove playing with high level guys….totally sick to see them golf their ball. No shame in losing to talents like that.

I've played with "good" players and been up close with Tiger, Rory, DJ, etc at tour events but until you play WITH and especially AGAINST someone that good...it's really different. Just like Tiger there are pics of this kid swinging a club in diapers.

Believe me, I was taking notes. We talked about various things and I picked his brain a bit while giving him something he might use in putting. LOL

My practice is different now because my expectations have changed for what's an acceptable result and what isn't.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I get lucky enough to play with a former big program college player/now club champ level guy a few times a year. It’s like being in awe the entire round. The mechanics are so good, the ball striking just seems pure and crisp on every shot. Short game is like a guaranteed up and down….it’s incredibly motivational.

Instead of joining a gym, I joined an indoor golf facility…..has a ton of Trackman bays. I now do like 3-4 2-hour seasons a week now, starting up with a coach soon to see where I can get my game to…..one last push before Europe Boys trip in ‘25 and my body starts falling apart.

 

[usiel]

Anyway, forgot to get to the point on the sand...bunkers are that low on the budget/maintenance priority list because so much focus is on the shit that people use and remember the most, which is usually the other end of that list (greens, fairways, etc).

So in a golf boom like we've had the last 3 years there's little reason for most courses to worry too much about the bunkers. There are lots of new golfers who can't tell good from bad, especially in bunkers, and plenty of replacement dollars for anyone lost due to shitty traps. So they slip further down the capex list.

Why drop a big chunk of profit on bunkers when the tee sheet fills up anyway ? The problem with bunkers is you keep losing the sand and it keeps getting compacted due to erosion.

If you water and fertilize and otherwise prep the rest of the course without a single person setting foot on it, it'll remain pristine.

The bunkers otoh will gradually get worse and worse depending on wind & rain, mostly, but also because they have to be turned every so often due to animals, debris, etc. People heaving/tracking/raking shovelfulls of sand out of them only speeds that up.

My non-golfing suggestion convert all the bunkers to ponds and put gators in each.