Where Do You Lose Golf Balls (Or Your Mind)?

Greetings faithful reader! As the rules regarding hazards (PENALTY AREAS) have changed in 2019, so will Hart Ranch GC. Below is a short questionnaire on how you feel about the current course setup and if any changes should be made. Obviously we have some ideas, but our valued patrons’ input never hurts. We will update you on course changes as we get closer to the season, but a big thanks for giving your observation(s)! You never know, there might be something in it for you (hint hint)…

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Stroke and Distance Local Rule

http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization-copy/major-changes/golfs-new-rules-stroke-and-distance.html

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The New Rules and Taking Relief

The New Rules and Taking Relief

By now you’re aware that you can leave the flagstick in while you putt (and you should!), but there are a lot of other new rules the USGA has adopted to simplify and speed up the game. This week we’re going to look at one of the most important (and often confusing) aspects of golf: taking relief and how it has changed in 2019. Read on!

RELIEF AREA

This video will explain the new Relief Area better than I can, so here goes:

Just remember, whenever you drop the ball must come to rest in that relief area, otherwise you re-drop. If you drop twice and the ball rolls out, then you may place it.

OUT OF BOUNDS

OK, let’s get this one out of the way quickly. THE OUT OF BOUNDS RULE HAS NOT CHANGED. If you blow one out onto Spring Creek Road on hole 2, you must take the stroke-and-distance penalty and drop or re-tee from the previous spot (you do have an expanded Relief Area now, see above).

There is now an option for committees (and courses) to adopt a LOCAL RULE that allows players to drop after hitting the ball OB. You will not see this option in any big tournaments on any tours, but it may come into play during casual rounds at certain courses. Regardless, it’s good to know the rule, because it can give you a huge advantage if it’s adopted at the course/event you’re playing. Here’s another video:

PENALTY AREAS

OK, here’s the meat and potatoes. First of all, there are no more water hazards (well, there are, but they’re not called that). Courses and committees can now decide to make anywhere a PENALTY AREA, which are played very much like water hazards used to be. Think of the left side of hole 14. We weren’t able to make this a “hazard” in previous years because that area didn’t hold water. Now, we can (not that we will!). PENALTY AREAS will still be marked by yellow or red stakes or lines (or the area itself can act as a marker). You may now also ground your club in a PENALTY AREA, but we’ll get to that later. Here’s a video:

We don’t have to deal with “hazards” and “lateral hazards” anymore, so you’re probably going to see almost every penalty area marked red (to offer the two-club length rule). The “equidistant” rule no longer exists except as a local rule (you probably rarely used it anyway).

ABNORMAL GROUND CONDITIONS

Similar rules apply here, with the new RELIEF AREA in effect. Here you go again:

UNPLAYABLE LIE

Another similar rule, but a good refresher:

Hopefully this gives you a good idea of how to take relief in 2019. The rules have really been simplified, and  in my humble opinion the USGA has done a fantastic job. We’re always available if you have any questions, and happy golfing!

 

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How to Play DFS (Fantasy) Golf

How to Play DFS Golf

With over 59 million players and a $7 billion industry (as of 2017), fantasy sports have exploded over the last decade and will only go up from here. Along with season-long leagues, daily fantasy (DFS) sites like DraftKings (DK) and FanDuel (FD) offer huge payouts for relatively small entry fees (and it’s legal!). If you’re looking to dip your toes into the DFS golf waters this year, these tips will help. All DFS sites will also let you play for free if you want to practice first (highly recommended). Let’s get rolling!

Get Your Players Through the Cut

PGA tournaments generally feature between 132 and 156 golfers and have a 36-hole cut (top 70 and ties usually make it, if more than 78 players make it there is another cut after Saturday). Any player that doesn’t make it through isn’t going to accumulate points and/or money for you on the weekend.

On DraftKings and FanDuel you pick 6 golfers and must stay under each site’s determined salary cap. Golfers are priced based on a lot of factors, but if you’re able to get all 6 players through the cut you’re probably going to win some $$$. Only ~10% of DFS lineups get all their players through the cut so you’re way ahead of the curve if you do.

Know Your Game

DFS offers two main avenues to play. The first are cash games, and they’re highly recommended if you’re just starting out. Cash games are much easier to win, but the payouts are lower. They include Head-to-Head (play against only one other player, win 80% of your entry fee), Double-Ups (double your money if you finish in the top 43%) and 50/50s (win 80% of your entry fee if you finish in the top 50%). In cash games you want to take “safe” players, i.e. those who regularly make the cut, have good odds, etc. Ownership is much less important in cash games (we’ll get to that shortly).

Tournaments are the lifeblood of DFS. They offer large payouts (up to $1 million for the 4 majors) for smaller entry fees (although they offer high-dollar games for the whales). The problem is you’ll have to beat 100,000+ other lineups to win the whole thing, and finish in the top 20% or so to win any money back. Also keep in mind that there are DFS pros (and people with money to waste), and in the large-field, multi-entry games (the ones with gigantic payouts) they can make up to 150 lineups. That means if you’re only entering one lineup into these contests you’re at a serious disadvantage. I’d highly recommend when you’re first playing tournaments to find Single, 3 or 5-entry MAX contests. The payouts will be lower, but you’ll have a much better chance to cash.

Know Ownership

In order to win tournaments, you must take risks. You want to take some shots on players that other lineups don’t have. Think of it this way: if there are 100 lineups in a contest and 99 of them have Dustin Johnson, you’re not gaining anything on the field if you have Dustin Johnson. However, if you’re 1 out of 100 who has Kiradech Aphibarnrat and he scores the same amount of points as Dustin Johnson you’ve just lapped 99% of the field.

That being said, you don’t want your entire lineup to be made up of low-owned, no-name golfers (unless they all play awesome; hint: it won’t happen). It’s OK to take Dustin Johnson if he’s 99% owned but he wins the tournament.  Generally the best strategy is to take 2-3 of the top guys you think have the best shot at winning without worrying about ownership then differentiate elsewhere. If you have a cheap, low-owned golfer that makes the top-15 you’ve done extremely well.

Know the Scoring System

Each site differs in scoring slightly. Both offer about the same amount of points based on finishing position, but each site rewards scoring differently. You’ll get more points for eagles than birdies, birdies than pars and so on, but FanDuel gives more points for a par, making a grinding-type par-maker slightly more valuable on that site. This is an underrated aspect of DFS golf.

Know the Course

The best part of DFS golf is how much it changes week-to-week. We’re always trying to piece together a puzzle based on a golfer’s profile and the course. A bomber who doesn’t hit many fairways isn’t going to do great on a tight, heavily-wooded course, while a short knocker isn’t going to compete on a wide-open 7,800 yard behemoth (although there are always exceptions…finding them can give you leverage against the field). If you’re going to play, do a bit of research on the course.

Know Course History

Some golfers are just wayyyyy better on certain tracks than others (see Bubba Watson at Riviera and Augusta, Dustin Johnson at Kapalua and Pebble Beach, etc.). Sometimes it’s a matter of where they grew up or went to college, sometimes it’s a statistical thing, sometimes we have no clue but they just play well and feel comfortable on certain courses. If someone has played a tournament 12 times and made 12 cuts, you should probably make a point of rostering him.

Take Rickie Fowler at Torrey Pines. He was highly owned in tournaments yet almost missed his 4^th straight cut there and tied for 66^th (kind of rough for the spokesman of the sponsor). However he has an awesome record at TPC Scottsdale, left a bad taste in people’s mouths after the week before and ended up winning. Course history matters, folks.

Know the Weather

Anyone who golfs in South Dakota knows that weather plays a huge impact, and Tour golf is no different. If there’s a big wind/rain/cold discrepancy from morning to afternoon on Thursday and Friday you need to be paying attention. Those who tee off at the calm part of the day have a gigantic advantage on those who have to play in a 35mph squall.

Know Vegas

Vegas produces odds on every single golfer for every single golf tournament and guess what? They’re pretty good at it. Pay attention to the odds and look for discrepancies in DFS pricing. Sometimes a player with decent odds will be priced too low on DFS sites and vice-versa. Looking at Vegas odds is a great way to research when you’re just starting out.

Embrace Volatility

This is my last point, but probably the most important. Golf is extremely volatile (don’t we know), meaning there are going to be times the highest-ranked, highest-priced player in the field fires an 80 on the first day and decides to WD and pack it in for the next tournament. It happens all the time.

Here’s the rule (and it applies to each golf shot you hit as well): Treat each week completely separately than the one before.  You cannot afford to have biases if you’re trying to win. Just because Justin Rose crumbled on Friday and missed the cut for you doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look at him next time. Just because Sergio Garcia is out destroying greens and trying to dig a hole to China doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play him in a good spot (but really, c’mon man).  There are guys everyone likes who will always be highly owned even if they’re a bad course fit. See Fowler, Rickie; Finau, Tony, and guys everyone hates who will go underowned even with great odds. See Reed, Patrick; Poulter, Ian. Always play with your head and not your heart and you’ll have a big advantage on those that don’t.

Trust me, there’s nothing like watching Sunday of a golf tournament when you have 6 players through the cut and are winning $$$, but one final thought: don’t go crazy. It’s extremely difficult in DFS to win consistently in any sport, and golf is probably the toughest. There’s just so much variance week-to-week that it’s impossible to do great every single tournament. Choose the right games for you and play small, lose small. Happy golfing!

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