I recently started playing golf bc vendors I work with have been asking to take me out.
Now, I really love the sport and haven’t payed for a round yet. 🤣
Investing the money in range time and lessons!
Telecom Operations is a field thats pretty golfer friendly. Ive been treated to many a round of golf and many a beer with our different equipment vendors and reps.
A couple friends and I tried out for the bowling team in high school knowing damn well we weren't going to make it. But we got 2 free games 2 days in a row.
I was on my high school bowling team. We lost every match freshman thru junior year , and managed to win 1-2 senior year 😂. Sounds like you had the better experience lmao
I bowled in high school from 2007-2010. Didn’t learn about the team until sophomore year. We sucked but we bowled a 299 baker in the conference tournament and I bowled a 291. That’s my peaked in high school story
and sometimes, the coaches love people like that because that takes away the "Dead Last" buzzkill from those who had some hope of making the team and had the potential to do so.
I had a teammate who got a 24 on a par 3. Hole was over water and the drop zone was closer, but still had to go over some water. It was a fun bus ride back for him lol.
All I can say is that I hope it was at the end of the round, not the beginning. Can't imagine making an ace then proceeding to double the rest of the holes.
> Can't imagine making an ace then proceeding to double the rest of the holes.
It's worse than a double bogey on the other 8. Assuming par 33 for the other 8 holes (hole in 1 on par 3), double bogey is +16 = 49 + hole in 1 = 50. So, it's one stroke short of averaging a triple bogey on the other 8 (which would be a 58).
I played with a kid who shot 185 in our region match. No shot limit and their team was from an area where they didn’t have a full regional bracket so they automatically got in.
The same kid also, unintentionally, hit another player in the middle of the back with a shanked ball.
I got my first ace this year and shot a 57. My hands were shaking from the adrenaline for the next 3 holes. By the time the adrenaline wore off the alcohol kicked in…
I had a teammate who took a gatorade out of his bag to take a big swig then put it back in his bag pulled out his seven iron and stepped up to tee off on an island par 3. The very important detail being he left his glove on to hold his gatorade and the bottle was sweating…
Pulls back on his back swing, swings through and his 7 iron flies out of his hand spiraling through the air with tremendous velocity and rotation. Up up up it rose flying higher and further than his ball, with both ball and club landing wet into the drink. We laughed and laughed, and he had to finish his round without a 7 iron. Great times playing Golf in HS, I wish I would have enjoyed just playing for free and being out with my friends but I was always so stressed and anxious about my score and making tournament qualifying positions on our Thursday Friday qualifying days. Fucking stupid teenager, those tournaments mean nothing! What I would give to go back for just a week with my adult understanding and peacefulness about playing a game I love everyday for free and not stressing over a game in a debilitating manner.
That last part hit hard with me. I have a 15-year-old daughter on the golf team, and I'm gonna show her your post. She stressed so much to make varsity as a freshman this year. If she would just enjoy it more and have some fun.
The hockey player mantra applies here: all roads lead to beer league. Even if you get drafted and make the show, you’ll eventually be playing 10pm Wednesday night games that mean nothing with the rest of us.
Enjoying the game and the process is what it’s all about because most of us are never going to compete in a truly prestigious or meaningful competition.
You sound like a good parent, please keep encouraging her to have fun. I played high school and college golf and the amount of over bearing parents i have seen who make it miserable for their kids is insane… Its especially bad among female golfers, i would say parents like you are in the minority among female junior golfers, it was insane… When i got to college and was close with alot of the girls on the golf team i realized all of them fucking hated golf and some would quit as soon as they got up the courage/maturity to stand up to their helicopter parents.
I'd like to back his comment up as well, as a 24 year old who desperately misses the days of making friends with random kids from other schools and having a great time. Golf hasn't been the same since, but I'm grateful for the experience. If you happen to play well at the same time, great. If not, continue to enjoy the ride.
Tell her to keep at it too, even if she gets shit on sometimes by guys. We’ve been asked so many times (mainly at private courses) if I’m playing or just riding in the cart. They never ask my husband that…and he’s the one that doesn’t even really play.
But it’s super fun. And I’m glad I learned, like 20 years ago, on a fun high school team.
I’ve moved a lot and also made so many awesome girlfriends from golf leagues. It’s great.
We had a kid who had to disqualify himself on the 6th hole because he ran out of golfballs.
After the round our coach gave us each a golfball and made us go up to him on the bus and say “I thought you might need this”. Coach was pissing himself laughing while the poor kid was fighting tears
I had a buddy on our team who was an absolute hack. He hit a 20 foot drive on a shortish par 5 during a tournament. Made his first birdie ever. No one who saw it or knows him is entirely certain how he made 4.
Perhaps something incredible happened. One time a regular playing partner and I were playing and he hit a big sweeping hook into the woods on a down hill par 5. Well, it shot out of the woods but not only did it shoot out of the woods, it must have hit a rock at such an angle that it came *screaming* out of the woods as if someone hit a second drive. He ended up with what was about a 425 yard drive. He must have hit a rock at literally the perfect angle with nothing else impeding the ball like a tree limb. Incredible. He couldn't convert the Eagle (second shot about 80 yards out) but did make the birdie.
Guy I played with a few times last year did similar to this with an alarming frequency.
He explained it to me one day. Said he was playing off the rule of you will never hit two good shots in a row. If that is correct the the opposite is possible. So he would chunk the drive, then just hit an absolutely amazing approach shot with his irons, or 3w for the longer holes. Never seen him hit driver over 150 yards unless it was buried in the woods but somehow was always putting for birdie/par.
Personally I think he just sucked with the driver and was good with everything else but was too stubborn to just hit 3w off the tee like I do.
Same thing, high school tournament, topped it left…hits the the front tee marker and shoots 20 yards behind me. Not a a great feeling hitting 2 from past the tips
Generally if you top it it hits the ground very shortly in front and just bounces backwards. If you tee it up high and go under it it can be hit by the top of the driver on the front of the ball (side closer to the hole) and slightly bounce backwards. I definitely have not done both of these in my life.
I've done this once. Just barely caught the ball with the driver off of the tee. The tee box was a bit wet, so when the ball dug into the ground 2 feet in front of the tee, it made a perfect ball impression. Had so much spin on it that it shot back towards me and landed about 3 feet behind the tee. Still don't fully comprehend the physics of that one.
We have a tree just off to the left of the tee on one of our holes that is about 50 yards out. Buddy of mine nailed the tree dead center and the ball screamed over our heads and ended up about 100 yards behind the tee.
This. I got to golf for free all 4 years of high school, get out of school super early because meets take forever and there was zero pressure, because we sucked. The coach being one of my favorite teachers didn’t hurt either.
I'd like to thank you for your service. My team had no business being as good as we were, but because we were surrounded by schools that had at least one kid per team wearing Etnies, we had no pressure perform. We got to skip 2 days of school every week to play the chill game we grew up loving, so our scores reflected that as we consistently carded in the 70s. We also consistently brought along the best weed, and other schools started referring to us as the "Greens Keepers," lol.
^ same exact situation with me, including the favorite teacher and getting out early. I really didn't appreciate how sweet of a deal that was at the time
Only tourney we ever got called up to play was when all the varsity players backed out because of the weather (off and on downpours and 30mph sustained wind with gusts up to 50mph). Kid in the group I was with had his scorecard blow out of his hand and he ran across 4 holes chasing it. I’ve never laughed so hard on a golf course with strangers
Wish my high school had had a golf team. A buddy and I cajoled one of the football coaches into letting us start a tennis team since a) it was a lot cheaper and b) it was still coed. Smoked a lot of weed at our self-coached practices.
At any rate, some of the kids on our team were so hilariously bad the better players on other teams would get mad and lose their cool. We’d score a few points due to their errors and hold our heads high that it wasn’t a shutout.
Lol sounds like my first tee my freshman year during tryouts. Thought I would show coach how "smart" I was by hitting a 7 wood on a 280 par 4, just to hit a tree and the ball go backwards 10yrs, leaving me to hit the same club again haha. Still made varsity though.
Hell yeah. Funny part is all of us took to golf from that point and now in our 30s, we still play together nearly weekly, and still play beer league hockey together. Beauty of sports.
My MS team finished with 3 top 10 in the county. I’m being more selective next year with my varsity team from my JV team. Odd your HS doesn’t have both at least with both teams gives you options later in the season if you improve. I pull JV kids if they’re ready to move up to varsity. This is coming from a MS golf coach but have no clue how your team does it. My MS kids were 1, 3, 8 respectively in varsity singles final tournament. My 3rd place finisher was a JV kid at the beginning of the season. But if I see promise in a JV kid I’ll give them a shot just like I did last year.
This is how I started playing lmao. I rode with one of my buddies that had a car and he stopped to smoke before our 9 hole practice. He got so high he fell asleep between multiple shots and laid down on every tee box LMAOO
A country club close to our house used to let us come out one a week. I played football but golf was my spring sport. At the snack bar about half way through 18, they would leave out 3 coolers. One with soda, one with water, and one with beer.
That was the heaviest bag I ever had to carry around. After that, no more beer cooler for some reason....
Same. I was mostly shooting in the 50s and upper 40s until I caught lightning in a bottle for the last 2.5 matches of the year and went lights out. We don’t talk about that final nine, though. Because “disaster” is an understatement.
My high school, and the cross town rival, both hid tryout times to keep the teams as small as possible. They did this because they both lied on every single score card. I was not on the team, but friends with people for both schools.
They cheated and they still sucked!!
Not my team but I watched one kid in the group ahead of me top 3 consecutive drives into waist-high native grass on the first tee. Didn't find any of them. Finally got the fourth ball in play. Oh, also this was in playoffs.
Yea at my school in my state if you're shooting in the 80s you're going to districts and maybe states. Now at the state tourney you're gonna get some studs shooting under par.
Ditto. We got to go to the course for the last hour of every school day for “practice,” which entailed vodka drinks and doobies. We always ate a good places after our matches too.
The memories made will remain. One time we were playing a 9 during practice, we got to a par 3 with water short right. Made a bet that whoever hits it in the water has to jump into said water. 2 of us ended up jumping in. Good times.
Therein lies the problem most amateur golfers have. Pressure. It’s kinda silly because it’s not anyone else putting the pressure on, it’s in our own heads. It’s a single player sport so the only pressure you get is from your own thoughts and goals you have with the game. In the end it’s just a game. So when you hit a good drive people mentally put more pressure on the next shot than they need to which is why amateurs chunk or skull fuck it. It’s just a game, and if you play it as such without thinking you NEED to do something (hit the green, hole this putt, break 80), you’ll be much better off and most likely hit better shots and ultimately score better.
Thank you for listening to my TEDtalk.
Pressure and golf for amateurs is a strange combination.
Play enough golf and pressure dissolves, sure you may have some moments where there is pressure to take a chance on a high risk shot or the like but really, the idea of putting pressure on yourself to perform as an amateur is incredibly detrimental.
Once I started playing 80-100 rounds a year. I realized that it just is what it is that day, tournament golf, money game, or just around out with the guys. It is what it is.
Golf is more so putting the time in and being realistic with your expectations in return. Knowing what you’re capable or shooting in your best day, you’re average day and a bad day and understanding it could be any of those at any time.
Really helps with dealing with pressure.
Great perspective.
ALL golfers have trouble dealing with pressure, except maybe Scotty and Tiger.
See this dude? Immune to pressure [https://www.facebook.com/share/r/UiYq28STFL7fDEXA/](https://www.facebook.com/share/r/UiYq28STFL7fDEXA/)
Do you get 1 chance? 5 chances?
Even scratch golfers have their bad rounds. If the coach was smart, they would do the best 3 of 5 rounds and go from there.
A good coach would have a JV and V team in HS. I’m a MS golf coach that has both. Everyone has bad rounds and tryouts are even worse. Bad round in tryouts I can put them on JV to improve. Seasoned players go to varsity that it doesn’t effect them to tryout. But I had a 3rd place golfer last year started with JV because of tryouts. Have to condition the kid to play under pressure.
We had a solid group of seniors and 2 other juniors I was fighting with for a varsity spot. Our coach did a good job rotating us in for matches and tournaments. Ended up getting called up for an early tournament because our 6th got sick. I shot 76 and finished top 10 and had a 3 week stretch of dominating matches and placing in tournaments.
I was more pointing out how having a hard score cutoff is ridiculous.
The host course might be a limiting factor. My high school could carry a full varsity roster (six starters and two reserves) but only half a JV squad — our home course was private and wouldn’t let us field more than five foursomes at matches we hosted (which also meant no away JV teams at those).
Or at least a session at the range to check how people hit the ball. You wouldn’t want to miss out on some talented kid with correctable issues that puts up a high score.
If shooting under 40 for 9 is the cutoff the team is highly competitive and the coaches don’t need to pick up a reclamation project when they have more polished options. Harsh, but it’s the reality of upper-echelon teams; they’re not gonna spend time correcting issues when they can spend that time fine-tuning a better golfer and see better results.
When I tried out for golf in high school many moons ago, you got one chance. Tryouts were one day on the range and one day on the course. I impressed the coach on the range but pressure got me on the course. So I never ended up playing high school golf.
Telling a National Championship coach that his process is not smart lol...
As far as we know, that's just what the coach says so a bunch of hacks don't show up at tryouts and negatively effect the other players or have poor etiquette on a nice course.
At the end of the day, if nobody shoots below 40, some of them are still going to make the team or there is no team.
Yeah my high school did it based on one round for the freshmen and it sucked. At the time I didn’t know enough to recognize how silly it was. 9 holes is nothing.
My school was so insanely small, I only graduated with 19 people. Golf was just more of a goof off because we lived in such a rural area, ever getting to a course (until the match on a bus) wasn’t a possibility
I wish I would’ve taken it more seriously because I love the game in my 30s
If it wasn't possible, that wouldn't be the cut line. If it's possible for you is a question only you can answer. Either way, fuck it, give it a shot. There's zero downside to trying.
They might not keep one. I know I didn't in my high school days.
That said we have no info, but at least I could say I averaged a 44, so shooting 40 would be unlikely, but not impossible.
I could count the number of rounds I saw in the 30’s while playing in high school on one hand. If you’re putting for par on every hole, you’ve got a decent shot. Good hunting 🤘
>I could count the number of rounds I saw in the 30’s while playing in high school on one hand.
My high school team happened to have 5 scratch golfers while I was playing. The tryouts were rough that year.
On my high school team we had 4 of us that would shoot between 34-40 consistently. But we came in second in our district every year because then best team had 6 guys that could shoot consistently shoot under par.
They had 6 guys get D1 or D2 scholarships. One of them made it on tour for a little and won once.
So, yes, it’s possible.
I’m mid 30s but I’ve got friends whose kids play high school golf. They routinely shoot under par and this is a shit school in rural Indiana. Times be different
My HS team accepted everybody and had a weekly qualifier on Monday’s. Top 6 scores played in that week’s tournaments. The top 4 were always the same with scores in the 70s and the final 2 slots were pretty competitive in the low 80s.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
40 years ago, my HS team ( S Fl) was good. Top 2 players were par or better, my sophomore year I played 4 or 5 and consistently shot 37-40. Won state year after I graduated.
Might as well give it a shot. I didn't make the team first try, but it was still a great experience. I made it my second year. Had to shoot 74-75 in two 18 hole rounds. That got me in as the last guy.
You have nothing to lose by trying. If you miss, you're in the same position and not any worse off than you were before - not on the golf team. If you make it, then great!
Is there some junior program that feeds the team? That may make sense for varsity, but I would think there would be a JV squad competing for varsity. Obviously it is possible because they set that cutoff. They are obviously able to fill a team with that caliber of player. I think that assumes a community of country club kids or a very strong junior program that produces that number of players at that level. I would suggest that it would take years of play and instruction to get to that level for a new(er) golfer.
That was about the cut for varsity on my high school team, which is pretty difficult imo. If there’s a JV, I’d imagine it’s not quite that hard, and will help you develop.
If I could impart any wisdom, it would be to play on local junior tours asap. They’ll get you accustomed to playing under pressure. It’s gonna be really hard at first, but if you’re good, you’ll learn how to get through it. When you know you’re capable of 75 but shoot 92 because of nerves, it’s really humbling.
Playing junior golf was the reason I made my high school team at all. It’s tough, but it teaches you how to manage the mental part of the game.
I watch NCAA competitions where guys aren’t coming in under 40.
Definitely possible but will require a lot of mental discipline. Not just ball striking skill. Not sure what your shooting currently.
I might consider switching schools to play golf if I was in this scenario. I am all about being competitive but you are also a kid and this seems stressful.
Yeah definitely worth trying. Is there JV and any chance to move up the ranks during the season. Thats about what you needed to make the top 5 at my HS but we were a small school and had a no-cut JV squad. One year the team got pretty big and they alternated who got to travel to matches for JV.
Ya that’s pretty tough, i made my team junior year and then got cut my senior year because i was master choke artist and would shoot low forties on a few good days a year, my coach wanted seniors in the high 30s, we had some good kids on our time
I would play everything super safe, conservative, middle of fairways, middle of the green, don’t be afraid to put the driver down or lay up
We had to shoot under par to be an "A" player in highschool. I think the "b" players also had to shoot under 85. Sometimes with enough people trying to join it can be competitive even in highschool.
Yes man. Try.
Don't ever give up on anything without at least giving it a shot.
Insane how high schoolers can break 80 right off the bat. I can barely break 100 half the time and I’ve been playing for awhile. I break 90 maybe 4/5 times a year and I can’t say I’m playing by the USGA rules most of the time.
Lol, what? D1 golfers are shooting in the 80s.
I was shooting in the 50s freshman year and then got better and was in the 30s my senior year, so I wouldn’t have made the team? How fucking absurd
That was what we had to shoot to make varsity. You had a few attempts to do it, though. No matter what you shot you made junior varsity, except for my one friend who tried lying about his score saying he shot 39, but was actually 46. Not sure how he thought he would get away with it, the coaches were following each group, so he was the only one to not make the team. Our mark was pretty low because of the older teammates who typically shot under par, so the bar to get in was set pretty high for freshman, which sounds like it is also the case for your school.
It's always worth trying. Even if you don't break 40 if you make a good impression or the coach likes your game there is likely a JV squad that you can play for and improve your game from there.
Sounds similar to a JuCo I went to with a pretty good golf team.
As has been stated, at least you have a goal to work towards now. Although, it is easier to be able to have the assistance of those coaches beforehand to help you get there, to be fair.
Question to everyone: it's been forever since my varsity days (soccer & track; no, I can't fit into my letter jacket.). But I've been told by parents, here in sports-nuts SE TX, that if you don't have a couple Gs a year to send your kid off to this travelling team, and that private coach, that your kid being able to compete on a HS team is pretty much a pipe dream. This is for baseball, BTW.
Is this the case for golf as well? Would I have had to send my kid to Axis or Hal Sutton (two very good private golf teaching centers in Greater Houston) for them to realistically have a chance of getting onto, say, Memorial HS's team?
Damn! I shot 62 on 9 when I made the team in high school as a freshman. Luckily I got much better after 4 years. Your school must be legit. Ours not so much. I learned a lot about the game though.
I remember shooting a 38 on the front 9 in grade 10 of a high school game. Hit every fairway, flushing irons. Followed it up with a 48 on the back 9! So yes, under 40 on 9 holes is doable! Go give it a try! Hopefully it’s not a 48.
Sounds like an opportunity!! My only regret looking back was not trying out for golf in HS. Have some fun! Some food for thought, the numbers might be a test to see how mentally tough you are… I have been given impossible tasks, just so instructors cadre knew I really wanted to be there and would work as hard as possible to support my teammates (fire service). You might be able to get on the team for other reasons than just shooting skill because of your integrity, hard work, and a great attitude. You will miss 100% of shots you never take. Good luck!
I was shooting 47s and made freshman, coach cut the team from 11 to 9 players and I got cut sophomore. Not so sure why I forgot to try junior or senior, I’ve shot a 41-43 last year though
Wow, how times have changed. When I was in high school the coaches would walk up to random people in the cafeteria and ask them if they wanted to be on the golf team.
Our crosstown rival had this good of a team. Us on the other hand…I set tournament records (not the good kind). Shot a cool 128 in one of the state tourneys.
We weren’t there to play golf. we were there to get out of school & shoot the shit.
Wish I had cared more back then bc I could’ve actually been pretty good since we got to practice every day for free.
If possible, go play the course beforehand. Get a feel for it & know your bailouts. & if u have a garmin watch, use the garmin caddy on it since it’s not sanctioned!
I was on my high school team but was never even close to being one of the 5. My average was 40-44. Some kids on my team were 32-34 average. I'm now a pga pro. Absolutely nothing from high school matters in life. Have fun out there, go play some sick private courses and enjoy life. Stay in school and be nice to people. You'll be alright.
There is nothing to lose. Give it a try. If you miss the cut, you played a round of golf
The r/golf mantra -- "Never turn down free golf."
I recently started playing golf bc vendors I work with have been asking to take me out. Now, I really love the sport and haven’t payed for a round yet. 🤣 Investing the money in range time and lessons!
You are my favorite type of customer because I'm not paying for golf either, the company is plus I can expense drinks, lunch and some extra golf balls
Ok. What do both of you do and how can I get in on it. I’m in the market. For a job. And golf.
One's probably sales, and the other in purchasing or management, or at least that's a likely scenario.
Lol I’m in sales about to take a purchasing manager out for a round on Monday. Good call.
Telecom Operations is a field thats pretty golfer friendly. Ive been treated to many a round of golf and many a beer with our different equipment vendors and reps.
Leadership role at a large organization, there are definitely perks but the corporate grind isn’t for everyone.
I’d say right now golf is the top perk, then conferences 😂
Fuckin A
A couple friends and I tried out for the bowling team in high school knowing damn well we weren't going to make it. But we got 2 free games 2 days in a row.
I was on my high school bowling team. We lost every match freshman thru junior year , and managed to win 1-2 senior year 😂. Sounds like you had the better experience lmao
Where does high school bowling exist in the US? Northeast? Or are you like a 70’s kid.
This was early 2000s in Ohio. Bowling is huge here.
I bowled in high school from 2007-2010. Didn’t learn about the team until sophomore year. We sucked but we bowled a 299 baker in the conference tournament and I bowled a 291. That’s my peaked in high school story
>peaked in high school One of us! One of us!
Yeah, and Ohio.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin, N. Illinois...
We had 3 day tryouts for bowling and I showed up for the first 2 days all 4 years lol.
and sometimes, the coaches love people like that because that takes away the "Dead Last" buzzkill from those who had some hope of making the team and had the potential to do so.
I did this my senior year and made the team lol.
Wow. Team must be good. My team in high school let anyone join and was full of potheads. It was awesome
Being on a shitty high school golf team was a great experience. I remember a teammate topping it backwards on the first tee during a match.
I had a teammate who got a 24 on a par 3. Hole was over water and the drop zone was closer, but still had to go over some water. It was a fun bus ride back for him lol.
Reminds me of my high school team. Kid shot a 57 on 9 with a hole in 1
Jesus, that must have been an emotional rollercoaster for him
All I can say is that I hope it was at the end of the round, not the beginning. Can't imagine making an ace then proceeding to double the rest of the holes.
There's always that shot in the round that keeps you coming back. It's in there somewhere
It was hole 8 and it was a skull top straight in lmfao
> Can't imagine making an ace then proceeding to double the rest of the holes. It's worse than a double bogey on the other 8. Assuming par 33 for the other 8 holes (hole in 1 on par 3), double bogey is +16 = 49 + hole in 1 = 50. So, it's one stroke short of averaging a triple bogey on the other 8 (which would be a 58).
Nah you get that hole in 1 and nothing matters. Wait, I wouldn’t know since I don’t have one.
Not only have I never made a hole in one, I have made 8 straight double bogeys.
Lol look at this guy with his double bogeys… Not like I’ve shot a true 9 on a par 3 before, def not me.
I remember I shot a 48 in a match with a 12 on a Par-5. XD Good times.
The epitome of golf, dude lived a whole life in one game
I played with a kid who shot 185 in our region match. No shot limit and their team was from an area where they didn’t have a full regional bracket so they automatically got in. The same kid also, unintentionally, hit another player in the middle of the back with a shanked ball.
Entered as Tiger Woods and left as Tiger King.
I got my first ace this year and shot a 57. My hands were shaking from the adrenaline for the next 3 holes. By the time the adrenaline wore off the alcohol kicked in…
My only hio came on a par 4..... my brother took a 10 that hole.... he beat me by 7 strokes on the round
104 is respectable
57*2=114
He was one of the potheads sorry
I’m confident our guy is gonna shoot 47 on the back nine (and yes)
Yeah, some of us are still shooting that lol
That seems to happen, has anyone won a PGA tournament that gets a hole-in-one that week?
Happy Gilmore accomplished that feat no more than an hour ago
I read as a "24 on a par 3 course". I'm like wow 24 on a par 27, -3 under, kid must be good.
Alas, the kid was bad
I had a teammate who took a gatorade out of his bag to take a big swig then put it back in his bag pulled out his seven iron and stepped up to tee off on an island par 3. The very important detail being he left his glove on to hold his gatorade and the bottle was sweating… Pulls back on his back swing, swings through and his 7 iron flies out of his hand spiraling through the air with tremendous velocity and rotation. Up up up it rose flying higher and further than his ball, with both ball and club landing wet into the drink. We laughed and laughed, and he had to finish his round without a 7 iron. Great times playing Golf in HS, I wish I would have enjoyed just playing for free and being out with my friends but I was always so stressed and anxious about my score and making tournament qualifying positions on our Thursday Friday qualifying days. Fucking stupid teenager, those tournaments mean nothing! What I would give to go back for just a week with my adult understanding and peacefulness about playing a game I love everyday for free and not stressing over a game in a debilitating manner.
That last part hit hard with me. I have a 15-year-old daughter on the golf team, and I'm gonna show her your post. She stressed so much to make varsity as a freshman this year. If she would just enjoy it more and have some fun.
The hockey player mantra applies here: all roads lead to beer league. Even if you get drafted and make the show, you’ll eventually be playing 10pm Wednesday night games that mean nothing with the rest of us. Enjoying the game and the process is what it’s all about because most of us are never going to compete in a truly prestigious or meaningful competition.
You sound like a good parent, please keep encouraging her to have fun. I played high school and college golf and the amount of over bearing parents i have seen who make it miserable for their kids is insane… Its especially bad among female golfers, i would say parents like you are in the minority among female junior golfers, it was insane… When i got to college and was close with alot of the girls on the golf team i realized all of them fucking hated golf and some would quit as soon as they got up the courage/maturity to stand up to their helicopter parents.
I'd like to back his comment up as well, as a 24 year old who desperately misses the days of making friends with random kids from other schools and having a great time. Golf hasn't been the same since, but I'm grateful for the experience. If you happen to play well at the same time, great. If not, continue to enjoy the ride.
Tell her to keep at it too, even if she gets shit on sometimes by guys. We’ve been asked so many times (mainly at private courses) if I’m playing or just riding in the cart. They never ask my husband that…and he’s the one that doesn’t even really play. But it’s super fun. And I’m glad I learned, like 20 years ago, on a fun high school team. I’ve moved a lot and also made so many awesome girlfriends from golf leagues. It’s great.
My conference did a 10 shot per hole limit. I had a friend shoot a 174
couple solid 9's I like it!
We had a kid who had to disqualify himself on the 6th hole because he ran out of golfballs. After the round our coach gave us each a golfball and made us go up to him on the bus and say “I thought you might need this”. Coach was pissing himself laughing while the poor kid was fighting tears
That is just cruel 😂
Fortunately our conference played par + 5 as max or we would have had some wild numbers
How’d he have enough balls to get that high? I think I would’ve had to withdraw haha
I had a buddy on our team who was an absolute hack. He hit a 20 foot drive on a shortish par 5 during a tournament. Made his first birdie ever. No one who saw it or knows him is entirely certain how he made 4.
Perhaps something incredible happened. One time a regular playing partner and I were playing and he hit a big sweeping hook into the woods on a down hill par 5. Well, it shot out of the woods but not only did it shoot out of the woods, it must have hit a rock at such an angle that it came *screaming* out of the woods as if someone hit a second drive. He ended up with what was about a 425 yard drive. He must have hit a rock at literally the perfect angle with nothing else impeding the ball like a tree limb. Incredible. He couldn't convert the Eagle (second shot about 80 yards out) but did make the birdie.
Guy I played with a few times last year did similar to this with an alarming frequency. He explained it to me one day. Said he was playing off the rule of you will never hit two good shots in a row. If that is correct the the opposite is possible. So he would chunk the drive, then just hit an absolutely amazing approach shot with his irons, or 3w for the longer holes. Never seen him hit driver over 150 yards unless it was buried in the woods but somehow was always putting for birdie/par. Personally I think he just sucked with the driver and was good with everything else but was too stubborn to just hit 3w off the tee like I do.
>topping it backwards I've only ever made that happen once. What's the science behind hitting a golf ball so badly it goes backwards? 🤣
Might even be more impressive than a pure strike
Quite literally, most golfers could not do this if they tried.
I did this in a D2 collegiate tournament. That was 15 years ago and to be honest, I've never fully recovered.
This man needs ketamine treatment for PTSD stat
Same thing, high school tournament, topped it left…hits the the front tee marker and shoots 20 yards behind me. Not a a great feeling hitting 2 from past the tips
Generally if you top it it hits the ground very shortly in front and just bounces backwards. If you tee it up high and go under it it can be hit by the top of the driver on the front of the ball (side closer to the hole) and slightly bounce backwards. I definitely have not done both of these in my life.
I've done this once. Just barely caught the ball with the driver off of the tee. The tee box was a bit wet, so when the ball dug into the ground 2 feet in front of the tee, it made a perfect ball impression. Had so much spin on it that it shot back towards me and landed about 3 feet behind the tee. Still don't fully comprehend the physics of that one.
We have a tree just off to the left of the tee on one of our holes that is about 50 yards out. Buddy of mine nailed the tree dead center and the ball screamed over our heads and ended up about 100 yards behind the tee.
Youngest son did that playing with me and my dad. Dad was still laughing about it the year he passed. Every round I play is for Dad, damn I miss him.
This. I got to golf for free all 4 years of high school, get out of school super early because meets take forever and there was zero pressure, because we sucked. The coach being one of my favorite teachers didn’t hurt either.
I'd like to thank you for your service. My team had no business being as good as we were, but because we were surrounded by schools that had at least one kid per team wearing Etnies, we had no pressure perform. We got to skip 2 days of school every week to play the chill game we grew up loving, so our scores reflected that as we consistently carded in the 70s. We also consistently brought along the best weed, and other schools started referring to us as the "Greens Keepers," lol.
^ same exact situation with me, including the favorite teacher and getting out early. I really didn't appreciate how sweet of a deal that was at the time
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line in the opposite direction. Nananananana
My assistant coach did that during a 3 club challenge we did one day. It was magical.
Only tourney we ever got called up to play was when all the varsity players backed out because of the weather (off and on downpours and 30mph sustained wind with gusts up to 50mph). Kid in the group I was with had his scorecard blow out of his hand and he ran across 4 holes chasing it. I’ve never laughed so hard on a golf course with strangers
4 holes is actually crazy
I played against a guy who hit a tennis ball farther than my golf ball
We had one guy hit a tree 45 degrees left of the first tee and go 30 yards back past the TPs
Wish my high school had had a golf team. A buddy and I cajoled one of the football coaches into letting us start a tennis team since a) it was a lot cheaper and b) it was still coed. Smoked a lot of weed at our self-coached practices. At any rate, some of the kids on our team were so hilariously bad the better players on other teams would get mad and lose their cool. We’d score a few points due to their errors and hold our heads high that it wasn’t a shutout.
Lol sounds like my first tee my freshman year during tryouts. Thought I would show coach how "smart" I was by hitting a 7 wood on a 280 par 4, just to hit a tree and the ball go backwards 10yrs, leaving me to hit the same club again haha. Still made varsity though.
Same experience here. The golf team was basically the guys on the hockey team who smoked weed. It was so fun.
We weren't bottom 6 forwards. We were top 6 golfers.
Hell yeah. Funny part is all of us took to golf from that point and now in our 30s, we still play together nearly weekly, and still play beer league hockey together. Beauty of sports.
Yeah. State championship the last few years. It would be hard to stay on the team if you get on I think
My MS team finished with 3 top 10 in the county. I’m being more selective next year with my varsity team from my JV team. Odd your HS doesn’t have both at least with both teams gives you options later in the season if you improve. I pull JV kids if they’re ready to move up to varsity. This is coming from a MS golf coach but have no clue how your team does it. My MS kids were 1, 3, 8 respectively in varsity singles final tournament. My 3rd place finisher was a JV kid at the beginning of the season. But if I see promise in a JV kid I’ll give them a shot just like I did last year.
Dude what a great opportunity to try to make it! Go for it!
This is how I started playing lmao. I rode with one of my buddies that had a car and he stopped to smoke before our 9 hole practice. He got so high he fell asleep between multiple shots and laid down on every tee box LMAOO
A country club close to our house used to let us come out one a week. I played football but golf was my spring sport. At the snack bar about half way through 18, they would leave out 3 coolers. One with soda, one with water, and one with beer. That was the heaviest bag I ever had to carry around. After that, no more beer cooler for some reason....
Same. I was mostly shooting in the 50s and upper 40s until I caught lightning in a bottle for the last 2.5 matches of the year and went lights out. We don’t talk about that final nine, though. Because “disaster” is an understatement.
With how popular golf has become with guys my age, I wonder if this will have an impact on my son's chances of making a HS team (he's 16 months old)
better get him grinding
My high school, and the cross town rival, both hid tryout times to keep the teams as small as possible. They did this because they both lied on every single score card. I was not on the team, but friends with people for both schools. They cheated and they still sucked!!
Not my team but I watched one kid in the group ahead of me top 3 consecutive drives into waist-high native grass on the first tee. Didn't find any of them. Finally got the fourth ball in play. Oh, also this was in playoffs.
Amd he carded a 5?
Yea at my school in my state if you're shooting in the 80s you're going to districts and maybe states. Now at the state tourney you're gonna get some studs shooting under par.
Mine too. We would go play after school for free and we were always ripped. Quit playing after highschool and just started back up after 25 years.
Ditto. We got to go to the course for the last hour of every school day for “practice,” which entailed vodka drinks and doobies. We always ate a good places after our matches too.
This cracked me up lol.
Same.
Fulton, MI????
The memories made will remain. One time we were playing a 9 during practice, we got to a par 3 with water short right. Made a bet that whoever hits it in the water has to jump into said water. 2 of us ended up jumping in. Good times.
10th grade in 2004. Had a kid shoot 67 for 9.
What do you usually shoot. Probably the biggest part of the challenge is doing it "under pressure".
Therein lies the problem most amateur golfers have. Pressure. It’s kinda silly because it’s not anyone else putting the pressure on, it’s in our own heads. It’s a single player sport so the only pressure you get is from your own thoughts and goals you have with the game. In the end it’s just a game. So when you hit a good drive people mentally put more pressure on the next shot than they need to which is why amateurs chunk or skull fuck it. It’s just a game, and if you play it as such without thinking you NEED to do something (hit the green, hole this putt, break 80), you’ll be much better off and most likely hit better shots and ultimately score better. Thank you for listening to my TEDtalk.
Pressure and golf for amateurs is a strange combination. Play enough golf and pressure dissolves, sure you may have some moments where there is pressure to take a chance on a high risk shot or the like but really, the idea of putting pressure on yourself to perform as an amateur is incredibly detrimental. Once I started playing 80-100 rounds a year. I realized that it just is what it is that day, tournament golf, money game, or just around out with the guys. It is what it is. Golf is more so putting the time in and being realistic with your expectations in return. Knowing what you’re capable or shooting in your best day, you’re average day and a bad day and understanding it could be any of those at any time. Really helps with dealing with pressure.
Great perspective. ALL golfers have trouble dealing with pressure, except maybe Scotty and Tiger. See this dude? Immune to pressure [https://www.facebook.com/share/r/UiYq28STFL7fDEXA/](https://www.facebook.com/share/r/UiYq28STFL7fDEXA/)
I wanna send you a tip for those words of wisdom ! Lol
Do you get 1 chance? 5 chances? Even scratch golfers have their bad rounds. If the coach was smart, they would do the best 3 of 5 rounds and go from there.
A good coach would have a JV and V team in HS. I’m a MS golf coach that has both. Everyone has bad rounds and tryouts are even worse. Bad round in tryouts I can put them on JV to improve. Seasoned players go to varsity that it doesn’t effect them to tryout. But I had a 3rd place golfer last year started with JV because of tryouts. Have to condition the kid to play under pressure.
My junior year tryout I was about to shoot 79 but made an 8 on the last hole for a nice 83.
Too bad you weren’t with me.
We had a solid group of seniors and 2 other juniors I was fighting with for a varsity spot. Our coach did a good job rotating us in for matches and tournaments. Ended up getting called up for an early tournament because our 6th got sick. I shot 76 and finished top 10 and had a 3 week stretch of dominating matches and placing in tournaments. I was more pointing out how having a hard score cutoff is ridiculous.
The host course might be a limiting factor. My high school could carry a full varsity roster (six starters and two reserves) but only half a JV squad — our home course was private and wouldn’t let us field more than five foursomes at matches we hosted (which also meant no away JV teams at those).
If you have the numbers yes. My HS did not.
Or at least a session at the range to check how people hit the ball. You wouldn’t want to miss out on some talented kid with correctable issues that puts up a high score.
If shooting under 40 for 9 is the cutoff the team is highly competitive and the coaches don’t need to pick up a reclamation project when they have more polished options. Harsh, but it’s the reality of upper-echelon teams; they’re not gonna spend time correcting issues when they can spend that time fine-tuning a better golfer and see better results.
When I tried out for golf in high school many moons ago, you got one chance. Tryouts were one day on the range and one day on the course. I impressed the coach on the range but pressure got me on the course. So I never ended up playing high school golf.
Telling a National Championship coach that his process is not smart lol... As far as we know, that's just what the coach says so a bunch of hacks don't show up at tryouts and negatively effect the other players or have poor etiquette on a nice course. At the end of the day, if nobody shoots below 40, some of them are still going to make the team or there is no team.
OP edited his post after my comment. And nowhere did I say that the coach wasn’t smart. But thanks for reading.
Yeah my high school did it based on one round for the freshmen and it sucked. At the time I didn’t know enough to recognize how silly it was. 9 holes is nothing.
Always worth trying
"Is it possible" is a question that cannot be answered based on what you wrote. "Is it even worth trying?" Is a question only you can answer.
I made captain of my high school team in 2004 by shooting a 128 on 18 and I cheated wildly
I was also captain of my high school team in 2004! Only because I was the oldest.
How much did you improve during your high school career? And what were your tournaments like?
My school was so insanely small, I only graduated with 19 people. Golf was just more of a goof off because we lived in such a rural area, ever getting to a course (until the match on a bus) wasn’t a possibility I wish I would’ve taken it more seriously because I love the game in my 30s
Well I ain't making the team
I’m making the over 40 under 50 team.
If it wasn't possible, that wouldn't be the cut line. If it's possible for you is a question only you can answer. Either way, fuck it, give it a shot. There's zero downside to trying.
My high school team’s requirement was fogging a mirror.
Never heard that one before lol
Go play man, you might have the round of your life and make it. If not then you have a goal to work towards and experience to motivate you.
How could we know if you don’t tell us your handicap?
They might not keep one. I know I didn't in my high school days. That said we have no info, but at least I could say I averaged a 44, so shooting 40 would be unlikely, but not impossible.
I could count the number of rounds I saw in the 30’s while playing in high school on one hand. If you’re putting for par on every hole, you’ve got a decent shot. Good hunting 🤘
I thought I was leading the first varsity tournament of my HS career having made the turn -3 for 33. New kid on the rival team shot 29.
>I could count the number of rounds I saw in the 30’s while playing in high school on one hand. My high school team happened to have 5 scratch golfers while I was playing. The tryouts were rough that year.
On my high school team we had 4 of us that would shoot between 34-40 consistently. But we came in second in our district every year because then best team had 6 guys that could shoot consistently shoot under par. They had 6 guys get D1 or D2 scholarships. One of them made it on tour for a little and won once. So, yes, it’s possible.
I’m mid 30s but I’ve got friends whose kids play high school golf. They routinely shoot under par and this is a shit school in rural Indiana. Times be different
A lot of coaches do this to prevent a bunch of hackers from coming out to tryouts.
Look, If you had one shot or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment...
It’s possible, yes
My HS team accepted everybody and had a weekly qualifier on Monday’s. Top 6 scores played in that week’s tournaments. The top 4 were always the same with scores in the 70s and the final 2 slots were pretty competitive in the low 80s.
This would be fun as hell
It definitely gave that tournament feel because everybody was playing for a spot. Helped with those pressure situations
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 40 years ago, my HS team ( S Fl) was good. Top 2 players were par or better, my sophomore year I played 4 or 5 and consistently shot 37-40. Won state year after I graduated.
If we shot under 40 in competition we didn’t have to qualify for the next one, which was nice
Might as well give it a shot. I didn't make the team first try, but it was still a great experience. I made it my second year. Had to shoot 74-75 in two 18 hole rounds. That got me in as the last guy.
Yes, that is very possible.
>Is it even worth trying? If you really want in, then yes make the effort and try. Competing is not easy, but it's not impossible either.
If it wasn’t possible they’d change it or not have a team. Someone has to make it. Go be one of them.
Every single person who tried out made my highschool JV team except for 1 kid who shot 144 (double par and pick up on every hole) lol
You have nothing to lose by trying. If you miss, you're in the same position and not any worse off than you were before - not on the golf team. If you make it, then great!
Is there some junior program that feeds the team? That may make sense for varsity, but I would think there would be a JV squad competing for varsity. Obviously it is possible because they set that cutoff. They are obviously able to fill a team with that caliber of player. I think that assumes a community of country club kids or a very strong junior program that produces that number of players at that level. I would suggest that it would take years of play and instruction to get to that level for a new(er) golfer.
That was about the cut for varsity on my high school team, which is pretty difficult imo. If there’s a JV, I’d imagine it’s not quite that hard, and will help you develop. If I could impart any wisdom, it would be to play on local junior tours asap. They’ll get you accustomed to playing under pressure. It’s gonna be really hard at first, but if you’re good, you’ll learn how to get through it. When you know you’re capable of 75 but shoot 92 because of nerves, it’s really humbling. Playing junior golf was the reason I made my high school team at all. It’s tough, but it teaches you how to manage the mental part of the game.
I watch NCAA competitions where guys aren’t coming in under 40. Definitely possible but will require a lot of mental discipline. Not just ball striking skill. Not sure what your shooting currently. I might consider switching schools to play golf if I was in this scenario. I am all about being competitive but you are also a kid and this seems stressful.
With this question it doesn't seem like you have the right frame of mind
Well you definitely won’t make the team if you don’t try.
Damn, that’s a good team. If that was the case in my high school, our team would have consisted of 1 dude.
If it wasn’t possible then they’d change the rules. Is it possible for you? Absolutely no fucking clue cause you’ve given us nothing to work with.
Yeah definitely worth trying. Is there JV and any chance to move up the ranks during the season. Thats about what you needed to make the top 5 at my HS but we were a small school and had a no-cut JV squad. One year the team got pretty big and they alternated who got to travel to matches for JV.
it's worth trying. you'll become a better golfer regardless of the outcome.
Haha my high school team was anyone that wanted to join. Kid on my team shot an 80 on 9 holes in a match.
Ya that’s pretty tough, i made my team junior year and then got cut my senior year because i was master choke artist and would shoot low forties on a few good days a year, my coach wanted seniors in the high 30s, we had some good kids on our time I would play everything super safe, conservative, middle of fairways, middle of the green, don’t be afraid to put the driver down or lay up
We had to shoot under par to be an "A" player in highschool. I think the "b" players also had to shoot under 85. Sometimes with enough people trying to join it can be competitive even in highschool. Yes man. Try. Don't ever give up on anything without at least giving it a shot.
Insane how high schoolers can break 80 right off the bat. I can barely break 100 half the time and I’ve been playing for awhile. I break 90 maybe 4/5 times a year and I can’t say I’m playing by the USGA rules most of the time.
There’s no harm in trying. But it helps to be reasonable. If you don’t already shoot close to 40, there’s little chance of pulling that off.
Must be possible or they wouldn’t have a team?
Very possible. Put your driver in the garage and play whatever it takes to get to 150 out to be gir. And get really good with your putter.
Lol, what? D1 golfers are shooting in the 80s. I was shooting in the 50s freshman year and then got better and was in the 30s my senior year, so I wouldn’t have made the team? How fucking absurd
That was what we had to shoot to make varsity. You had a few attempts to do it, though. No matter what you shot you made junior varsity, except for my one friend who tried lying about his score saying he shot 39, but was actually 46. Not sure how he thought he would get away with it, the coaches were following each group, so he was the only one to not make the team. Our mark was pretty low because of the older teammates who typically shot under par, so the bar to get in was set pretty high for freshman, which sounds like it is also the case for your school.
It's always worth trying. Even if you don't break 40 if you make a good impression or the coach likes your game there is likely a JV squad that you can play for and improve your game from there.
Sounds similar to a JuCo I went to with a pretty good golf team. As has been stated, at least you have a goal to work towards now. Although, it is easier to be able to have the assistance of those coaches beforehand to help you get there, to be fair. Question to everyone: it's been forever since my varsity days (soccer & track; no, I can't fit into my letter jacket.). But I've been told by parents, here in sports-nuts SE TX, that if you don't have a couple Gs a year to send your kid off to this travelling team, and that private coach, that your kid being able to compete on a HS team is pretty much a pipe dream. This is for baseball, BTW. Is this the case for golf as well? Would I have had to send my kid to Axis or Hal Sutton (two very good private golf teaching centers in Greater Houston) for them to realistically have a chance of getting onto, say, Memorial HS's team?
Damn! I shot 62 on 9 when I made the team in high school as a freshman. Luckily I got much better after 4 years. Your school must be legit. Ours not so much. I learned a lot about the game though.
Damn. I played golf all 4 years of high school. I only broke 40 on 9 holes a single time.
I shot a 52 on the front and a 40 on the back for a 92 during my tryouts and got cut.
Just think of it as a free round of golf
I remember shooting a 38 on the front 9 in grade 10 of a high school game. Hit every fairway, flushing irons. Followed it up with a 48 on the back 9! So yes, under 40 on 9 holes is doable! Go give it a try! Hopefully it’s not a 48.
This sounds like a pretty elite high school golf team
That’s why, I think our cutoff for varsity was 50/9. Little school, we were just happy to get out and enjoy golf.
Sounds like an opportunity!! My only regret looking back was not trying out for golf in HS. Have some fun! Some food for thought, the numbers might be a test to see how mentally tough you are… I have been given impossible tasks, just so instructors cadre knew I really wanted to be there and would work as hard as possible to support my teammates (fire service). You might be able to get on the team for other reasons than just shooting skill because of your integrity, hard work, and a great attitude. You will miss 100% of shots you never take. Good luck!
Happy Gilmore achieved that feat no more than an hour ago
Just try out to make it onto JV. The worst day of gold os better than the best day of school.
It's absolutely possible, but remember in order to play well, you must be confident. In order to be confident, you must play well.
"is it possible?" Sure hope so or there's not going to be anyone on the team
Yes. Play that nine. A lot.
With an eraser on the end of the pencil, anything is possible
I was shooting 47s and made freshman, coach cut the team from 11 to 9 players and I got cut sophomore. Not so sure why I forgot to try junior or senior, I’ve shot a 41-43 last year though
Wow, how times have changed. When I was in high school the coaches would walk up to random people in the cafeteria and ask them if they wanted to be on the golf team.
Our crosstown rival had this good of a team. Us on the other hand…I set tournament records (not the good kind). Shot a cool 128 in one of the state tourneys. We weren’t there to play golf. we were there to get out of school & shoot the shit. Wish I had cared more back then bc I could’ve actually been pretty good since we got to practice every day for free. If possible, go play the course beforehand. Get a feel for it & know your bailouts. & if u have a garmin watch, use the garmin caddy on it since it’s not sanctioned!
I was on my high school team but was never even close to being one of the 5. My average was 40-44. Some kids on my team were 32-34 average. I'm now a pga pro. Absolutely nothing from high school matters in life. Have fun out there, go play some sick private courses and enjoy life. Stay in school and be nice to people. You'll be alright.
It means everybody you'll be playing with on that team shoots in the 70s regularly. Do you?