u/TDn6I

Curious about where everyone stayed during their SW Ireland golf trip. We want to hit some of the well known courses (Ballybunion, Lahinch, Waterville, Tralee, Old Head, etc) and wondering if its best to split up the stay into multiple locations or just stay in Killarney and maybe do those courses around there.

Obviously location and courses kind of go hand in hand, but I am curious what you all did when you went.

For our golf trip we have 12 people and each are putting in $150 the the pot for payouts during the trip.

We have two teams and are playing different style matches each day: singles, two ball, and team match play.

However, I want to be able to crown a trip champion for the guy with the lowest score throughout the weekend. The singles is easy enough but I am curious how I would apply that to the two ball and the match play? Do I just have everyone record their scores individually and figure it out total strokes after the fact?

Curious if anyone does anything similar with their golf trips.

I swear I am faced with this dilemma daily. In the offseason, it was easy - hit the weights and gym hard, have a few days to recover..

Now, with nice weather I would rather hit the range instead of go to the gym, and my heavy lifts usually leave me sore for a few days, which hurts my ability to golf.

We are going to North Carolina next spring and staying in the Pinehurst area, but off-resort so we will not be playing the Pinehurst courses. I saw Tobacco Road Travel allows you to book golf only packages and we were thinking of working with them.

Most courses we want to play (Southern Pines, Pine Needles, Mid Pines) don't allow booking more than 30 days out, and with 12 people I worry about getting tee times so working through TRT sounds like a good option to secure tee times.

Curious if anyone has used them and how different prices are with them instead of booking on your own.

We are staying in the Pinehurst area with our group of 12 and I am looking for the "best of the rest" courses in the area. Pinehurst courses are excluded since we aren't staying on-site and our plan is to try and get on Tobacco Rd, the Pines courses (Needles, South, Mid) and either Talamore or Mid South, since those seem to be very common recommendations.

However, with a group of 12 I imagine it may be a bit difficult, so I am hoping to have some back up options in case one or two of those fall through. Outside of Pinehurst and the ones I listed, what are some options I should look into?

Obviously, everyone has their own preferences, but we are looking for something kept in great condition and something the course offers that would make it memorable or stand out from others. That can be features on the course or even an awesome patio/bar/clubhouse.

Thanks for all your suggestions!

Planning a trip to SW Ireland for our next golf trip (2028, already booked for 2027). I am curious for those who have played some of those top courses (Tralee, Old Head, Lahinch, Ballybunion, etc), how long did you have to plan in advance for a group? We likely will have 8 people. I'm sure they dont even open tee sheets until a year out but just starting to think about it.

I'm sure this has been posted plenty of times over the years but I came across the make percentages by distance on the tour and I was pretty surprised by the numbers within 10 feet. Tour pros average make by distance are:

2' - 99%

3' - 96%

4' - 88%

5' - 77%

6' - 66%

7' - 58%

8' - 50%

9' - 45%

10' - 40%

That 5'-7' range is what stood out the most to me. Throw that down on the tape measure and it really doesn't look far at all, and likely feels much closer on the course. I get mad at myself when I miss those for birdies and I really shouldn't be.

Yes, putting and chipping around the green is important. Approach shots and reaching the green are important. But it doesn't matter if your tee shot puts you in a bad position (fairway bunkers, behind trees, fescue, penalty shots) to reach the green and score.

If my driver is working and irons, chipping, and putting is not, I can still shoot low/mid 80s because I am avoiding penalties and putting myself in good position with my second shot. Even if I am not hitting GIR, I can still chip up and two putt for a bogey.

However, if my driver is off and I am having to take medicine and chip back in the fairway, or take two stroke penalties for OB, then everything else can be dialed and I can still walk away with a high 80s/low 90s score.

Its so damn frustrating.

Obviously, it is the ultimate bucket list destination, but I am curious what a round there is actually like. With so many people trying to get on and play, does the whole experience feel crowded? Does it feel too touristy? Or is all the hype worth it?

As someone who hates the center shaft look of zero torque putters, but needs the zero torque technology (I rotate my club 11 degrees in the backswing and downswing) what options are available to me?

So far I have found three - LAB OZ.1 HS, Odyssey S2S TriHot SB, and the Bettinardi Antidote Hexperimental.

They are all so different - from looks to feel off the face - I need to try them out in person so curious if there are any else I should have on my list?

We started taking our golf trips a couple years ago and usually play top courses. We went to Ireland last year, Sand Valley this year, and Pinehurst next year. We usually have a large group (8-12 depending on the year) with a wide range of golfers - a few single digit hcps and a couple in the 20s.

I organize the trip every year and want to make it fun for everyone so I try and get Ryder cup style matches set up - singles, best ball, and an alternate shot.

The only game style that some people dont care for is the alternate shot because you aren't playing your own ball, and when playing really nice courses guys generally want to play every shot, which I understand.

What is your stance on this? Will you still play scrambles/alternate shot matches if you are playing at a nicer course or would you rather play your own ball?

We are going to the Pinehurst area next spring but not sure if we will be staying on resort or if we will stay off resort and play the other courses in the area. So, where would you place the best non-Pinehurst courses compared to the ones at the resort?

For example…

1. PH 2
2. PH 10
3. Tobacco Rd
4. Mid Pines
5. PH 4

Or something like that. This will be our first time golfing in North Carolina so I would love some opinions on folks who have golfed those great courses in the area.

We are going to the Pinehurst area next spring but not staying at Pinehurst. A couple people are pretty disappointed but the majority of our group is on a tighter budget. I am trying to reason with them saying we are still going to get to play premier courses. So, where would you place the best non-Pinehurst courses compared to the ones at the resort?

For example…

1. PH 2
   2 PH 10
2. Mid Pines
3. Tobacco Rd
4. PH 4

Or something like that…

Curious how everyone views the other courses in the area compared to Pinehurst.

I just joined a club this year and have never played any actual tournament or competitive matches (other than against friends). My handicap is currently a 12.6 and lots of people say that is an ideal handicap to have playing in competitive matches, and I have had a few people wanting to pair up with me for upcoming events.

What makes a guy like me a preferred option? I am so inconsistent on a round to round basis, and even a hole to hole basis. For example, last week when I played, over a 7 hole stretch I went - birdie, triple bogey, bogey, par, birdie, double bogey, double bogey

We are looking for a spring break trip next year with our three kids (6, 6, and 3 years old) and are trying to decided between Casa De Campo or Eden Roc Cap Cana. I would love some insight to both.

We are pretty low key and really only need a good pool, fitness center, beach, and some dining options for us to be happy. I am a golfer and plan to get a couple rounds in so I would lean Casa De Campo just because of the variety of golf around Casa De Campo compared to Eden Roc, but I'm not picky since Eden Roc has a wonderful course as well.

Thoughts? Anything specific to each resort that I should consider?

We are coming to Pinehurst next spring with a group of 12 and staying off-site in Foxfire. If you had to put together 5 non-PH courses that I absolutely must play in the area, what would they be? We are all coming from the Midwest so we want courses that define the sandhills/NC experience. I know there are a few non-PH courses in the top 100 that are on our short list (Tobacco Road, Pine Needles, Mid Pines, Southern Pines) but would love some of your favorites. Budget isn't a big concern either.

Okay. A bone to pick. I joined a private club this year and I love it but the tees I play at are 6340 yards and 71.1/127 rating and I think its absolute BS. There is OB everywhere, some holes its OB left and right. Water on 7/18 holes, 4 of which require approach shots to carry over water. An 533 yard par 5 that is uphill, always into the wind, dog leg right, with OB left and right. Tall fescue if you are off the fairway. And it is at the highest point in our city and it is always extremely windy.

Meanwhile, we have local muni courses that are considered harder than my course.

But seriously, who rates these courses? At least my handicap will travel well...

I am thinking of acquiring Jamo in my best ball league and the guy wants a 27 1st. I have two 27 1sts so not opposed to it but curious to see what others have paid or sold for

I have a few trades in my inbox right now that would ultimately end up being:

Give - Josh Allen, Brock Bowers, Malik Willis, 1.10

Receive - Jordan Love, Devon Achane, Ken Walker, Tet McMillan, Tucker Kraft, Romeo Doubs, 2.10, 4.10, 27 1st, 27 2nd, 27 3rd, 27 4th

This is a 0.75 TEP, 0.2 point per carry league - we start 10 and bench is 20.