Intra Club Matches This Weekend

I was telling Lag that we’re having our annual “Intra Club” matches this weekend at the muni that I play most of my golf at. They essentially take the top 20 players based on tournament performance through the year and then hold a Ryder Cup style contest at the end of the season with 2 of the pro’s each captaining a team of 10.

The format is 18 holes of 4-ball match play on Saturday morning, 18 holes of alternate shot match play on Saturday afternoon, and then18 holes of individual match play on Sunday.

I’ve been pushing a persimmon and blades agenda for a year or so now and my individual match play opponent jokingly suggested he and I go head to head using the same rules as Lag’s TRGA event. I called him out on it and he’s agreed, so of the 10 individual matches, Mike (my opponent) and I will be going with circa 1980 muscle back irons, persimmon drivers and fairway woods, and nothing over 56 degrees of loft. It should be lots of fun. I’ll try and get some pics to post from the Sunday match. :slight_smile:

Robbo

Sounds like a blast…Have a great time!

I bet Mike won’t get much sleep on Saturday night because he probably forgot how small those heads really are

Had a great time during the matches this past weekend. My partner and I won our 4-ball match Saturday morning with my pards making a nice 20 footer for birdie on 18 to ensure a one-up victory (with the opposing team sitting at 3-feet for birdie as well). We went on to win the afternoon alternate shot match 3 and 1 with yours truly hitting a laser 4-iron from 178 into a 20 mph wind to 3 feet to “seal the deal”.

As I mentioned, the 12 Sunday singles matches included a persimmon and blades match between my opponent and myself. The irons were no change for me as my Hogan PC’s are my normal set, but I hadn’t used persimmon in competition for quite a while. I had my deep face Tony Penna and a Ram 3-wood in the bag. My opponent (Mike) was using Hogan Redlines (not his normal set), and a Hogan driver and 3-wood. For a ball, I had planned use the Pro-V1, but when we checked in Saturday morning, the head pro had a dozen brand new Titleist Tour 100 balatas (still in the box) on the counter and mandated that Mike and I use them on Sunday! He’s had these sitting around for 15 years or so, so Mike and I each got 2 sleeves and we left the pro shot to a whole lot of laughter and “good lucks”!

I have no idea what the shelf life of a balata ball is, but it was a bit difficult to figure the balls out until we had played a few holes. Very little forgiveness on any sort of mishit with the drivers, and it was a different feel off the irons until you got used to it (a bit “mushy” is the best way to describe it). The course was set up at about 7,000 yards and we had a good 20 mph wind blowing again, so some holes were really playing long. The 8th is a 440 yards par 4 and played into the wind… neither of us could even reach the fairway from the back tee (which we later found out was intentionally moved all the way back “just for Mike and I”!) :imp:. I probably hit my most solid drive of the day on 10, a 375 yard par 4, and I still had 130 in (an 8-iron for me that day). Mike is a long hitter and after a lost ball on his tee shot on 11 (a 525 yard par 5 playing downwind this day), he reloaded and managed to get home in 2 and still almost make 5. I won the match 4 and 3 and was 3 over par when the match ended on 15. Lots of really solid iron play and although I didn’t make any long putts, my putting was very solid as well.

Sunday was great fun. On the range before the round, everyone had to get a look at the drivers and 3-woods Mike and I had in the bag. Most of the guys who were over 40 would pick up those persimmon woods and immediately break into a “knowing smile” as they looked at those small heads with the beautiful one-of-a-kind grain patterns and equally unique finishes which made that wonderful “thwack” sound at impact. For a brief moment I think they all went back in time.

Robbo