Bad Golf: There’s off days, bad days, and rough days

We’ve all had days of bad golf before. Compared to what happened to the Club Champions at Rustic Canyon, there is a new definition of bad golf.

I’ve had my own days of bad golf. I’m sure you have to. Whether it is the wind, the rain, the course, or just a day where nothing goes right. I had my own, where after shooting my personal best of 74 (toot toot, I know), I went and shot 17 strokes worse the next time out (yay golf gods, thanks for that). Compared to what happened at Rustic Canyon, they have set the new standard for bad golf.

Heading into their Tournament of Club Champions, it looked like it was going to be a fantastic day, exactly what you would expect in Southern California.

Instead, a terrible combination occurred leading to a smorgasbord of bad golf.

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This is no standard tournament at your local club, with handicaps all the way into the 20’s teeing up to play. Even a bad day of golf for those guys (like my dad this summer at a tournament we played in), is nothing in comparison. Every golfer here was a 2.4 or better, and as the Championship started at Rustic that Monday, most of them wished they would be able to play like a good 20 handicap.

Instead, there would be just two golfers that finished under 80.

Why? Fast Greens and insanely strong winds. That’s why. It’s a terrible combination and led to many players having more putts than they did shots throughout their day.

Just check out what happened to Grant Beachley on the 18th hole. He made it there in 6 and would need to make his first putt for a triple bogey. All things considered, that was a standard occurrence on the day for everyone involved. You wanna know how many putts he hit instead?

12.

Yup. A 12 putt. Putting uphill into the wind, he couldn’t get the ball to stay up near the hole, continually watching it roll back down to his feet. At least he finished his round. That’s more than a third of the field could say, as around 25 players withdrew, not wanting to even finish the slog of a round.

Putting was the main culprit, as you may have noticed. You wouldn’t expect a scratch golfer to three-putt that often. During the course of their rounds, many of them were likely praying for three-putts. Heck, some guys were six putting… from inside five feet. The winds and greens were that bad.

Imagine what this would’ve done to regular joes out there trying to compete. With nearly the entire field finishing between 85-105, sending low double-digit handicaps out likely would’ve led to more broken clubs and rounds quit than rounds completed. I can’t comprehend how bad I would’ve played. I’m guessing 125… if things went my way.

Maybe the PGA Tour will take note of this display of bad golf. Who wouldn’t want to see Beefy Bryson trying to drive a par five with whipping winds at his back?