OT: Nats, Wiz, O's, Ravens, Terps, Navy, Gtown, Mystics, Golf, Fall 2020-Spring 2021

[Ridley Simon]

So at what point is the heat placed on Turgeon? The recruiting wins are fun and all but he just finished his 10th season and has one Sweet Sixteen finish on his resume.

Last year really screwed them. He certainly isn’t what I’d consider a “clutch coach” (like Gary was), but I truly think last years team would’ve broken thru to at least the 16, maybe further. They were really good.

that said, I think this may have been his best “coaching” year. They were poop and he really rallied them.

with the COVID eligibility change, he can bring literally everyone back. No one on the team should have visions of NBA dancing in their heads, so why not?

I think I heard he had a good recruiting class too? If all so, they will be a preaseason top 20 (or higher), I’d wager. He’s got at least next year. Then?

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

listening to 980 this morning talking about the Terps. I dont think we can buy out coach for 5.5 mill in a covid season.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Goon and Rids, you guys make me jealous. I didn’t start golf until I was 20, but have had the bug since.

currently just over a 10 handicap....where I’ve hovered for years. Such a great great game.

when playing well, always flirting with the 70s, but rarely get there.

 

[g00n]

As an aside— and I know this will get scoffed at by many — I’ve had the same set of irons since I started college in 1987. Ping Eye2’s, white dot, steel shaft.

I started back then w the standard 3i thru SW. Over the years I added the 1i and 2i. But they aren’t in the bag now as I moved away from long irons and got a hybrid I like to augment the space between my 3W and the 4i.

also added a slew of wedges. Cleveland 56 and 60. And a 64 was my newest add. Changed drivers and woods many many times over the years— but never the PingEye2’s. My grandfather (my namesake) bought them for me — he passed a few years later — so while I love hitting them, there is sentimentality to it as well.

White dot Eye 2s! Yeah those are like 3* upright vs "standard" in the old charts (Ping has changed their fitting system a bit in the last few years). You would definitely need custom clubs if you went new.

Eye 2s are classics. If you have the BeCu (Beryllium Copper) model 1-SW...I suggest you look up set values and prepare a fainting couch.

Nothing wrong with sticking to older irons. I've been a "club ho" at times but always played my best rounds with really f***ing old irons. My first set in the late 90s was Tom Watson blades from like 1980 that you can't even find anywhere. My favorites were old MacGregor M85s from the 50s and 60s (still have some) though they have crappy grooves and the lowest profile you ever saw. And I currently game DCI 962s that are ~20yrs old.

But there are a few problems with older irons:

1. The lofts are usually a lot weaker than modern clubs
2. They're sometimes less forgiving due to older technology
3. The grooves may be non-conforming for USGA purposes like handicap, if that matters

For Ping it's extremely complicated due to lawsuits that centered around....Eye 2.

PING - Groove Rule

The Eye 2 wedges were highly sought for a while because the tight square "U" grooves produced so much more spin than V grooves. They were grandfathered in vs the groove rule for a while but now they're non-conforming for a lot of official matches.

So any used set has to be checked for groove conformity now. Some of the best irons I ever hit were Callaway X-Tour from about 10 years ago and unfortunately they're non-conforming.

https://www.usga.org/InfoClubsDB/Search.aspx

As for the first two items listed above, if you can gap your irons effectively at the ends (vs your wedges or FW woods/hybrids) and you don't care that you may be hitting a 5 iron when others hit a 7 iron due to jacked-up modern lofts, then the smaller gaps between clubs might work in your favor. But you could also be sacrificing some forgiveness depending on the model comparison. And that could mean the difference between getting up and down after barely clearing a pond with a slight toe shot vs. losing 1-2 clubs distance and taking a drop.

At our age, if just playing for fun, if you like the irons there is zero problem with playing the older sets.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Goon and Rids, you guys make me jealous. I didn’t start golf until I was 20, but have had the bug since.

currently just over a 10 handicap....where I’ve hovered for years. Such a great great game.

when playing well, always flirting with the 70s, but rarely get there.

I'm like you... I didn't pick up a golf club until I was in my 20's and now I shoot low-80's most of the time. Don't think I've broken 80 yet but I'm at the point where I can go out and play with (nearly) anyone and not embarrass myself, which is all I really want for my life at this point. Now I have the itch to go have a few beers and hit golf balls!

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I’ve always been a Titleist guy.....after my first beginner set, have never owned a set of non-Titleist irons. I always go hit the competitors but never change lol.

could never deal with the visual of the Ping irons....

I’m due a new set this spring, so who knows....

 

[g00n]

Goon and Rids, you guys make me jealous. I didn’t start golf until I was 20, but have had the bug since.

currently just over a 10 handicap....where I’ve hovered for years. Such a great great game.

when playing well, always flirting with the 70s, but rarely get there.

Don't be that jealous, I haven't played in a year and a half. lol

Most people will barely break 90. Being close to legit single digits is very good. I wonder what could take you lower? As you get closer to par it gets much, much harder to shave off strokes, as you know. They drop in chunks until you hit a plateau, usually 10-18 HCP, and then the struggle begins. I viewed this video recently and thought it was really good for that kind of thing. And well made:




Of course that guy is probably an experienced player and I'm guessing a country club kid, possibly former college. But the strategy and mental approach, if you have the shots, is sound.

I started when I was nearly 30. Sort of a Happy Gilmour kind of story. I have no idea what I'd shoot right now due to rust. I've recently regained my Amateur status with the USGA and the only scores I had to enter were from 2017-2019 which has me at +0.6, and there is NO FREAKIN WAY I could go out and shoot that right now.

Golf is a definite obsession. Seen all the movies and read all the classics. Think about it constantly. I listen to audiobooks while doing house shit, or working out, or whatever. I've gone through tons of sports psyche and performance stuff, as well as bios. Currently listening to "The Grand Slam" about Bobby Jones which is fantastically written and narrated. When I was a club pro the game was a job and it becomes a drag/grind. Going back to the Jones amateur ethic has reawakened my original fire and love for the game itself.

I wish I'd done it sooner.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

 

[txpd]

people still pay attention to the skins

Who are these skins you refer to?

 

[txpd]

You still pay attention to motorsports?

As I grow older I have less and less time for sports and that includes motorsports. Including motorsports. Of course motorsports is my career and what I do for a living, so, its on a different level. I lost interest in the Wiz a long time ago. I lost interest in the Terps when they left the ACC(I live in NC and that had an outsided impact). I have made time for the Nats at nearly a full time level though.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Don't be that jealous, I haven't played in a year and a half. lol

Most people will barely break 90. Being close to legit single digits is very good. I wonder what could take you lower? As you get closer to par it gets much, much harder to shave off strokes, as you know. They drop in chunks until you hit a plateau, usually 10-18 HCP, and then the struggle begins. I viewed this video recently and thought it was really good for that kind of thing. And well made:




Of course that guy is probably an experienced player and I'm guessing a country club kid, possibly former college. But the strategy and mental approach, if you have the shots, is sound.

I started when I was nearly 30. Sort of a Happy Gilmour kind of story. I have no idea what I'd shoot right now due to rust. I've recently regained my Amateur status with the USGA and the only scores I had to enter were from 2017-2019 which has me at +0.6, and there is NO FREAKIN WAY I could go out and shoot that right now.

Golf is a definite obsession. Seen all the movies and read all the classics. Think about it constantly. I listen to audiobooks while doing house shit, or working out, or whatever. I've gone through tons of sports psyche and performance stuff, as well as bios. Currently listening to "The Grand Slam" about Bobby Jones which is fantastically written and narrated. When I was a club pro the game was a job and it becomes a drag/grind. Going back to the Jones amateur ethic has reawakened my original fire and love for the game itself.

I wish I'd done it sooner.

Soon after I started, I had a year membership at Reston. My dad picked it up in a charity auction. Breaking 90 was the biggest barrier for me. Once in the 80s, the 70’s came relatively easy, but I didn’t have the time it took to dedicate myself to pushing down into single digits regularly. I had a few stretches as a 9 handicap but they were brief. My low round was down in Myrtle....shot a +3 73....now I’m like the career leader in 80s and 81s when I’m on....annoying at times.

I loved Bob Rotella’s Golf is not a game of perfect. That really helped me. I always have high expectations on the course....ultra competitive with myself and that held me back for a while.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

As I grow older I have less and less time for sports and that includes motorsports. Including motorsports. Of course motorsports is my career and what I do for a living, so, its on a different level. I lost interest in the Wiz a long time ago. I lost interest in the Terps when they left the ACC(I live in NC and that had an outsided impact). I have made time for the Nats at nearly a full time level though.

I’m with you on BBALL. I’ve had a slight rekindling with the Wizards this year.

 

[marcel snapshot]

Soon after I started, I had a year membership at Reston. My dad picked it up in a charity auction. Breaking 90 was the biggest barrier for me. Once in the 80s, the 70’s came relatively easy, but I didn’t have the time it took to dedicate myself to pushing down into single digits regularly. I had a few stretches as a 9 handicap but they were brief. My low round was down in Myrtle....shot a +3 73....now I’m like the career leader in 80s and 81s when I’m on....annoying at times.

I loved Bob Rotella’s Golf is not a game of perfect. That really helped me. I always have high expectations on the course....ultra competitive with myself and that held me back for a while.

CCR - what were the factors that helped you break the 90 barrier (still at or above that most times out) and why was it easier to move down through the 80s?

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

CCR - what were the factors that helped you break the 90 barrier (still at or above that most times out) and why was it easier to move down through the 80s?

for me it was eliminating the big number. I’d have wild swings in play. A stretch of -1 through 4, then a triple.

once I figured out more course management, that’s where I broke that barrier. I always had the “heroic shot” mentality....so I had to back off of what I would be willing to attempt.

once I learned to mostly stop taking a big number, the rest of the round things would click more. I also stopped keeping tabs of my score through the current 9....just play hole to hole, stay in the moment. Often times now, I’ll get to 18 and realize, hell a birdie is a 79....then I usually donk it up and shoot a bogey lol...

another thing is....you have to put in time at the range. You can’t just show up and expect to play well. It takes practice and prep. Even day of, I used to arrive, rush onto the course and wouldn’t be in the groove for 3 holes....by then a great round is sometimes already blown.

I prefer to arrive early, warm up, putt, etc....don’t feel rushed, that also helped me.

Keep at it, once you get regularly under the bogey golf realm....things get a lot better....or at least they did for me.

 

[g00n]

for me it was eliminating the big number. I’d have wild swings in play. A stretch of -1 through 4, then a triple.

once I figured out more course management, that’s where I broke that barrier. I always had the “heroic shot” mentality....so I had to back off of what I would be willing to attempt.

once I learned to mostly stop taking a big number, the rest of the round things would click more. I also stopped keeping tabs of my score through the current 9....just play hole to hole, stay in the moment. Often times now, I’ll get to 18 and realize, hell a birdie is a 79....then I usually donk it up and shoot a bogey lol...

another thing is....you have to put in time at the range. You can’t just show up and expect to play well. It takes practice and prep. Even day of, I used to arrive, rush onto the course and wouldn’t be in the groove for 3 holes....by then a great round is sometimes already blown.

I prefer to arrive early, warm up, putt, etc....don’t feel rushed, that also helped me.

Keep at it, once you get regularly under the bogey golf realm....things get a lot better....or at least they did for me.

Agree with all of this. And it may be explicit or implicit in the video I posted earlier, but the mantra for breaking these barriers (other than "one shot at a time") would be "conservative strategy, aggressive swing".

You can call it conservative target, or whatever. Same concept. Pick a shot/club/target you KNOW you can pull off 9 times out of 10 or better then just do it.

For example if you have a tight pin just over a bunker or water, and you're in between clubs and could muscle a 9i to hit that sliver of green between the bunker and the flag, that's the type of "hero shot" that brings in the big number. Better to stifle the ego, hit a smooth 8i or even 7i if there's green to work with, and lag it close for a 2 putt par at worst.

Haney called it the "big miss" though he meant it more in regard to losing the ball on a wild drive, and taking one side of the course out of play. That's another strategy that's overlooked by most of us but used regularly by pros who work the ball. If you're hitting a big slice or just a fade, why try to draw the ball on the 12th tee simply because the architect set you up with a dogleg left (assuming a RH player)? Play your fade (never aim AT trouble unless you have no choice) a safe distance to the fairway or light rough and knock it on/close. To hell with the "designer's intent" there.

Once you can hit the basic shots and have reasonable distances per club a lot then shifts to strategy, mental game, and short game/recovery shots.

 

[g00n]

Soon after I started, I had a year membership at Reston. My dad picked it up in a charity auction. Breaking 90 was the biggest barrier for me. Once in the 80s, the 70’s came relatively easy, but I didn’t have the time it took to dedicate myself to pushing down into single digits regularly. I had a few stretches as a 9 handicap but they were brief. My low round was down in Myrtle....shot a +3 73....now I’m like the career leader in 80s and 81s when I’m on....annoying at times.

I loved Bob Rotella’s Golf is not a game of perfect. That really helped me. I always have high expectations on the course....ultra competitive with myself and that held me back for a while.

Heh, I used to work for the company that owned Reston years ago. Only time I was ever there was for an all-day marathon annual budget meeting. Never got to play it. That's the grind of the golf biz for you.

I've read/heard all of Rotella's stuff. It definitely has a lot of value but there's a ton more out there. I find Rotella is one of those things for me I can take the whole bottle instead of just one pill. "Perfect" helped me when I started the same way it helped you, but then I think I got too...squishy? There's definitely some competitive fire that can be lost if you get too kumba-ya on the golf course. My buddy and songwriting partner is a touring musician and he caddied for me at one qualifier, and the entire time I was mental mush based on some Rotella CDs I'd been listening to. I described myself later as "a walking Jimmy Buffet album" and I hate Jimmy Buffet.

You need some of that "cool mad" or whatever Snead called it. My best competitive rounds were played a bit fired up. But being overly critical and thinking too much about mechanics....never holds up long. Forgetting the last shot and the score is a critical skill that even the tour pros struggle to master.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Rotella preaches that also.....conservative strategy but be aggressive and swing with conviction.

also helped me with some targeting thought changes.

any others you would recommend?


Rotella worked well for me because I would usually run too hot on course. In my head I’d just be grinding because I would go quiet and not talk much....playing partners would think I was seething, but mostly was just in my own head trying to right the ship mentally.

Resetting my personal expectations helped me a lot.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

for me it was eliminating the big number. I’d have wild swings in play. A stretch of -1 through 4, then a triple.

once I figured out more course management, that’s where I broke that barrier. I always had the “heroic shot” mentality....so I had to back off of what I would be willing to attempt.

once I learned to mostly stop taking a big number, the rest of the round things would click more. I also stopped keeping tabs of my score through the current 9....just play hole to hole, stay in the moment. Often times now, I’ll get to 18 and realize, hell a birdie is a 79....then I usually donk it up and shoot a bogey lol...

another thing is....you have to put in time at the range. You can’t just show up and expect to play well. It takes practice and prep. Even day of, I used to arrive, rush onto the course and wouldn’t be in the groove for 3 holes....by then a great round is sometimes already blown.

I prefer to arrive early, warm up, putt, etc....don’t feel rushed, that also helped me.

Keep at it, once you get regularly under the bogey golf realm....things get a lot better....or at least they did for me.

For me, getting my score down quickly was was two things, both technical and pretty easy to implement. I started rolling my right wrist forward a bit when using my driver and while I probably sacrificed some distance on my "hero" shots, they go in the air and straight almost every time now with very few shanks so I almost always have a solid lie on my second stroke. The second was taking a half step forward in my stance with my irons and hybrids so the ball is inline with my right heel instead of centered with my midline. It may not be technically correct but it really helped me get better contact instead of chunking irons.

Funny you mention the driving range... I would posit that me showing up and spending time at the range has zero correlation with how I play on the actual course. No idea why, maybe I think too much while I'm playing if I spend time on the driving range beforehand?

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

For me, getting my score down quickly was was two things, both technical and pretty easy to implement. I started rolling my right wrist forward a bit when using my driver and while I probably sacrificed some distance on my "hero" shots, they go in the air and straight almost every time now with very few shanks so I almost always have a solid lie on my second second. The second was taking a half step forward in my stance with my irons and hybrids so the ball is inline with my right heel instead of centered with my midline. It may not be technically correct but it really helped me get better contact instead of chunking irons.

Funny you mention the driving range... I would posit that me showing up and spending time at the range has zero correlation with how I play on the actual course. No idea why, maybe I think too much while I'm playing if I spend time on the driving range beforehand?

yep, I get that....many of us are range pros and poop the bed 10 mins later on course. That’s the game of golf. Some of my best rounds are the first round of the season or after a layoff....get on course and it’s all just clicking.

Once you get your basic swing mechanics worked out, it’s a constant jaunt of “what’s working or not working today” at least for me.

Speaking of other things that helped me break 90, was getting off the tee consistently. This game is a joy if you can tee off and get out there in play somewhere decent. From there on you can crap the bed and typically get bogey at worst. The tee ball is my most consistent weapon....my iron accuracy my least.

 

[kicksavedave]

Nothing will shave strokes off your game like practicing your short game. Simple math: You take ~14 drives per round with a driver type club off the tee. You take ~65-75 shots from ~150 yards out to the shortest putt - thats your biggest opportunity to shave strokes. Unless you love to go Tin Cup and put multiple balls into the water from the tee, then getting up and down in 2 or 3 or 4, is how you avoid the blowup hole. Think about what most blowup holes look like? 150 yards out from the tee shot, your approach hits the rough around the green, then you chunk that pitch or skull it over the green, then flop one up onto the green but 50 feet from the hole then 3 putt - there's your 7. Avoiding those chunked/skulled pitches, getting the approach shot which didn't land on the green, to easy 2 putt territory, is how I found you keep the blowup holes off your scorecard.

Imagine it this way: If your 3rd shot gets you within 10-15 feet of the hole, you've avoided the blowup entirely.

 

[txpd]

Golf. I should tell the story of when Trace Adkins nearly killed me on the golf course. I moved away from Washington to NC for golf

 

[g00n]

Rotella preaches that also.....conservative strategy but be aggressive and swing with conviction.

also helped me with some targeting thought changes.

any others you would recommend?


Rotella worked well for me because I would usually run too hot on course. In my head I’d just be grinding because I would go quiet and not talk much....playing partners would think I was seething, but mostly was just in my own head trying to right the ship mentally.

Resetting my personal expectations helped me a lot.

There are SO many but here are some faves:

And there are tons more but these were easy to retrieve.

The Grover book is awesome. That's Jordan's strength guy. Also Wade and Kobe. I think if I wanted to listen to an audiobook before a big match it would be that one.

Inner Game of Tennis is one of many about conscious vs unconscious performance. Easily applied to golf and I think the author eventually wrote a version for golf. But this is the classic.

Alice Cooper is a surprise entry for most but it's just a great book and gets you thinking the right way. Played some great rounds while this was on tap, including a hole in one.

Haven't listened to the Lardon book in a while but I remember it had some really, REALLY good insight into how the Pros manage a lot of the mental game, and their various struggles. If you want to see what separates them from the almost-made-its, and from us, that's a place to look.

Going Low I first read in paperback years ago and probably used that for some of my lowest rounds ever.

Again there are plenty more.

Notice none of these are really about mechanics. It's all mental/strategy/etc. Throw in all the Rotella books, some Phil Jackson, books about flow states, etc. Even books like "Endure" and others that focus on mental fortitude and how the body reacts to stress. Anything like that.

Then there's this one

This one bridges the gap between neuroscience and sports flow states like nothing else. Compelling nightstand reader.

That should keep you busy for a while.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Nothing will shave strokes off your game like practicing your short game. Simple math: You take ~14 drives per round with a driver type club off the tee. You take ~65-75 shots from ~150 yards out to the shortest putt - thats your biggest opportunity to shave strokes. Unless you love to go Tin Cup and put multiple balls into the water from the tee, then getting up and down in 2 or 3 or 4, is how you avoid the blowup hole. Think about what most blowup holes look like? 150 yards out from the tee shot, your approach hits the rough around the green, then you chunk that pitch or skull it over the green, then flop one up onto the green but 50 feet from the hole then 3 putt - there's your 7. Avoiding those chunked/skulled pitches, getting the approach shot which didn't land on the green, to easy 2 putt territory, is how I found you keep the blowup holes off your scorecard.

Imagine it this way: If your 3rd shot gets you within 10-15 feet of the hole, you've avoided the blowup entirely.

yup, this.....many a time, I’ve had my ass whipped by a 60+ year old who I would demolish off the tee and he’s just straight and consistent, and chipping his ass off the entire round.

in fact....a life lesson for me, I was playing in my mid#20s....and was with 3 randoms on the first tee, and the old man, had to be 65, asks if anyone wants to bet....friendly terms, but he whipped my ass and I probably shot a mid-80s round....he shot like 76...

last time I ever bet anyone I didn’t know on course lol.....

My favorite golf buddy, he one year practices an insane amount on his short game....suddenly he was shooting low 70s in front of my eyes.....it was amazing to watch. It’s just such a grind to practice the hours you need on short game IMO.

 

[g00n]

yup, this.....many a time, I’ve had my ass whipped by a 60+ year old who I would demolish off the tee and he’s just straight and consistent, and chipping his ass off the entire round.

in fact....a life lesson for me, I was playing in my mid#20s....and was with 3 randoms on the first tee, and the old man, had to be 65, asks if anyone wants to bet....friendly terms, but he whipped my ass and I probably shot a mid-80s round....he shot like 76...

last time I ever bet anyone I didn’t know on course lol.....

My favorite golf buddy, he one year practices an insane amount on his short game....suddenly he was shooting low 70s in front of my eyes.....it was amazing to watch. It’s just such a grind to practice the hours you need on short game IMO.

Beware old timers and bad swings looking for bets lol.

Those seniors...many of them just gear it down and square the face. 150-200yds in the middle every time. FW wood somewhere near the green, chip and 2 putt at worst. Watch out. Especially if they're getting strokes. Nobody maximizes strokes like an old guy.

 

[kicksavedave]

yup, this.....many a time, I’ve had my ass whipped by a 60+ year old who I would demolish off the tee and he’s just straight and consistent, and chipping his ass off the entire round.

in fact....a life lesson for me, I was playing in my mid#20s....and was with 3 randoms on the first tee, and the old man, had to be 65, asks if anyone wants to bet....friendly terms, but he whipped my ass and I probably shot a mid-80s round....he shot like 76...

last time I ever bet anyone I didn’t know on course lol.....

My favorite golf buddy, he one year practices an insane amount on his short game....suddenly he was shooting low 70s in front of my eyes.....it was amazing to watch. It’s just such a grind to practice the hours you need on short game IMO.

Heh, yep. When I was good at golf, way back when, when I used to hit the range twice a week and 18 twice on the weekends, I plateaued around 85-88 scores. I started spending much less time on the driver, and much more time just pitching/putting around the green, and watched those 5-8 strokes melt away. Best part was I could practice the short game in my back yard, especially the crummy lies in the rough

Beware old timers and bad swings looking for bets lol.

Those seniors...many of them just gear it down and square the face. 150-200yds in the middle every time. FW wood somewhere near the green, chip and 2 putt at worst. Watch out. Especially if they're getting strokes. Nobody maximizes strokes like an old guy.

Another funny story: Really fat guy, COO at my job, every single guy in the company out drove him, every time. He had almost no backswing because he was so fat. We were all hitting 250-300 and he was hitting 200-225, every time. But he was always dead in the middle of the fairway, we're always in the rough or trees. He hits his second shot, same as the first, right up around the green, then up and down and we're all trying to get close to the green on our 3rd or 4th shots. In the clubhouse when one guy teased him about it, he just smiled and said "there's more than one way to play this game".

14 drives. 70 chips and putts. Drive for show, putt for dough.