Elevation Golf

[RumpleForeskin]

Okay, being from Texas, I haven't played that much elevation golf except for Arizona a couple of times and thats about it. I'm playing one of the top-rated tracks in Colorado in Breckenridge Golf Club next week during out Broker conference. Its known as the Toughest and Best Mountain course in all of Colorado.

Anyways, the elevation of that course is 9,500 feet and I am looking for tips on club selection. To give you an idea, here is a grid of my iron range on the flatlands -

4iron --> 210 - 225
5iron --> 200 - 210
6iron --> 180 - 190
7iron --> 165 - 175
8iron --> 155 - 165
9iron --> 140 - 150
PW --> 125 - 135
52 --> 115 - 125
56 --> 100 - 110
60 --> 80 - 95

Can anyone tell me what my new range would be in that much elevation? I hit the ball fairly high, so I imagine that the distance would carry even a little farther than most.

Here are some pics of the course...





Slope rating from the tips is 151. YIKES!

[Dinsdale]

151 ain't fucking around, now is it?


Never played much at high elevation. A couple of golf buds go to Black Butte every couple of years, which is...fuck if I know...I think it's around 5500 or so, depending on where...they say if it's really hot, they go down not-quite two clubs. A 5 becomes a really easy 6, or a pounded 7...but that's just secondhand knowledge on my part. Surely there's got to be a Colorado hack around here somewhere.


I guess I have played at Kahneeta, out in the High Desert. I think that's somewhere in the 3-4000 foot range. Couldn't really tell you much about the ball-flight characteristics, since I was drunk as hell at the time. I think I still beat the hacks I was playing with by a wide margin(the excursion was their idea), even with them and their "you can't card anything higher than 8" rule...WTF? If the "carding more than 8" thing comes up more than say(being generous)...once a month, you might need a new hobby.

[Ken]

Never seen a 151 slope. Ouch.

The answer is simple... head out to the range at the course, pull an iron, hit 20 or so, and do a l'il math. Better yet, ask the clubhouse attendants. They probaby answer the question, oh say.... 20 times/day?

[Dinsdale]

And WTF is up with putting a course at 9500 freaking feet of elevation?

I'm all about walking the course, but I think I might have to go ahead and drive up and down them hills.


Madness, I tell you.


And 99% off topic -- if'n my memory serves correctly, Breckenridge was the first city in the world to have a public electric grid. I'm guessing there got to be some plaque hanging around there somewhere if this is true.

[Felix]

assuming you contact the ball the same, you'll probably notice the ball will fly about 15 to 20 yards farther at that elevation...so you'll be hitting your 4 iron 225 to 240....

when I played at the Edgewood/Tahoe course (elevation about 6,200 feet) I noticed my shots flew about 10 to 15 yards farther, so I'm guessing they'll fly a little farther at that higher elevation.....

151 slope?!?!?!?!?!

jeebus, Bethpage Black isn't even rated that high......have fun, take lots of balls

and take an oxygen bottle with you.....

[MuchoBulls]

That is a sweet looking course.

[RumpleForeskin]

Played today with some reps and sponsors and shot 83 from the blues (not the tips). I had 3 doubles and one triple so I played 14 of the holes at 2 over which is not too shabby considering the major difference between sea level golf and mountain golf.

The 2nd picture I posted in my original post is #8 on the Beaver 9 and it was Nicklaus at his best. It was a short par 5 (504) with creeks running on both sides and then the creeks crossed each other at 285 yards out from the tee taking the driver out of my hand. Beyond both creeks were protected environental areas which meant if you did not hit your drive in the fairway, you were taking a pentaly stroke. Well, I hit the 4 iron and pulled it off the tee into the left creek. I took a drop where my ball flight went into the hazard and was left with a 230 yard approach shot. Well, I thought I could take the 4 iron again and get on the green or close and still make par, but old Jackie boy designed this 3 tiered pond with beaver damns that cut into the front center part of the green. I hit a crisp shot, but the only problem was that I hit it right at the flag stick on the center of the green and did not make it over the hazard. The ball hit into the bank and rolled into the hazard. Had I hit the ball left or right of the flagstick, then I would have made it onto the green. Very tough hole.

The vlub differential was something else. The Bear 9 presented me with a 200 yard par 3 a little downhill and downwind. I was thinking a 7 would be too much, so I hit a strong 8 and stuck it 5 feet from the hole. Best shot I hit all day and realized I just hit a 200 yard 8 iron. WTF?!?!?

Anyways, I took lots of pics and will post them later. I hope to tackle that course from the tips before I leave and see how tough it really is. Great weather and great scenery.

[BSmack]

200 yard 8 iron. WTF?!?!?

That's not the way the course was meant to be played.

sin

Ken