Drivermaker Holiday Invitational - post scores here

[scottthesnot]

The Game & The Rules

Anyone that would share the game and rules with me would be much appreciated !

Thanks and Merry Christmas

 

[dmgwalsh]

Anyone that would share the game and rules with me would be much appreciated !

Thanks and Merry Christmas

here you go:

Q-Skill Challenge that Allen Hopkins came up with that's kind of an off-shoot to Equal Offense or Fargo. It also gives you a way to rate or rank yourself. So here are the rules:

1. Rack fifteen balls on the Foot Spot, in any order, and place the cue ball ON the Head Spot. Break the balls. If you miscue or miss the cue ball completely, it is a foul. Re-Rack, break again and subtract one from your score. If you miscue and contact the rack, you may choose to continue shooting, leaving the balls where they lie and not take a foul.

2. If you scratch on the break, it is a minus 1, unless the cue ball goes off the table, then it is a minus 2. After a scratch on the break, you may place the cue ball on either the Head Spot of Foot Spot and shoot any ball on the table, or place the cue ball anywhere behind the Head String and shoot any ball above the Head String. On the break, if you scratch or the cue ball goes off the table, all balls made on the break stay down but do not count as points. If you do not scratch on the break, then all balls made on the break count as one point each.

3. After the break, if you do not have a shot or do not like the shot you have, you may choose one of three options. (a) Place the cue ball anywhere behind the Head String and shoot any ball above the Head String. (b) Place the cue ball on either the Head Spot or the Foot Spot and shoot any ball.
(c) Place the rack over the cue ball (where it lies) and move the cue ball anywhere inside the rack and shoot any ball. All of the options noted above are a penalty and incur a minus 1.

4. After the break, whether you made a ball or not, proceed to shoot, calling each shot. Try to run the table, shoting the ball in any order UNTIL THERE ARE FIVE BALLS REMAINING. If you do pocket ten balls, then the last five balls must be shot IN ROTATION (in numerical order starting with the lowest number ball). If you MISS A SHOT, the rack is OVER. There are no second chances or mulligans! The first ten balls score 1 point each, and the last five balls score 2 points each. On each rack you can score a MAXIMUM of 20 points.

5. When there are six balls on the table and you pocket two or more balls in one shot, they all stay down and are each worth 1 point. Shoot the remaining balls in rotation, in which each ball is worth 2 points each.

6. Ten racks comprise a session. In one session you can score a maximum of 200 points. The score from TEN SESSIONS (100 racks) determines your Official Rating. The highest possible Official Rating is a perfect score of 2000 points.

Here is the Rating System:

0-300 - Recreational Player
301-600 - Intermediate Player
601-900 - Advanced Player
901-1200- Developing Pro
1201-1600 - Semi-Pro
1601-1800 - Pro
1801-2000 - Touring Pro

You'll have to keep a running scorecard of each game and each session (10 games) for 10 sessions (100 games)

Dennis

 

[scottthesnot]

Thanks Dennis.....

I love these type drills/games that require you to record the results (instead of just recalling what you want to recall) so you can see how you really play. Personally-I find the pressure in these situations to be tougher than in a match!!

Happy Holidays!!

 

[chefjeff]

I love these type drills/games that require you to record the results (instead of just recalling what you want to recall) so you can see how you really play. Personally-I find the pressure in these situations to be tougher than in a match!!

Happy Holidays!!

I was just thinking that, myself, scottthesnot. I could just "see" all the AZers staring at me as I was shooting...yikes!

Willie, here's my rounds 2 and 3...

Round 2: 10 11 2 12 12 7 10 8 12 2 = 92

Round 3: 19 14 5 10 6 9 3 1 10 20 = 97

Jeff Livingston

 

[JDB]

All right, I gave this a try... Actually I have been playing for the past couple of weeks and just finished up... I think, like most everyone else, I was disappointed with the results. However, in the spirit of the challenge, I will offer a couple of excuses as others have done...lol. I just took a lesson with Jerry Briesath about a month ago and am definitely trying to work the things he suggested into my game which was a huge struggle for the first couple of weeks (scores 1 - 4). After that, I remembered something else he told me and my scores started going up, on average, although still lower than I would like....

These were played on a 9 foot Olhausen with standard pocket sizes...

75
58 (do not drink while trying this LOL)
70
79
88
89
68
108
107
107

Total: 849
Avg: 84.9

It did take me a while to get the strategy down, especially when to look for your last five.

I think over the next year I should be able to get into the 120 - 150 range with a few less mistakes. I was sometimes too aggressive in the early stages to break out things and that ended up costing me a lot of points.

Anyway, this was a fun exercise... But I am pretty sure I can bring up my average to around 100 - 120 in the near future and 120 - 150 in the not to distant future.

 

[scottthesnot]

The Unvarnished Truth

When we shoot pool, play golf, or any other sport - we all tend to have "selective memory" and remember what we want. When we write our results down (as compared to remembering with selective memory) we are forced to deal with the truth... "This is how I really play pool..."

The bad news is that you may not play as well as you like to think you do. The good news is that you will determine what you need to work on !!

If I am playing 99 and I have two racks left to break a personal record or try and redeem a particularly bad day - the pressure to perform is TREMENDOUS !!

With only yourself to compete against and having no excuses or rationalizations - the final documented (written down) results is the unvarnished truth.

Its easier to deal with selective memory than deal with the unvarnished truth.

 

[Jimmy M.]

When we shoot pool, play golf, or any other sport - we all tend to have "selective memory" and remember what we want.

Thank god for selective memory! I would have quit golf a long time ago if it wasn't for selective memory!

 

[dmgwalsh]

However, in the spirit of the challenge, I will offer a couple of excuses as others have done...lol. I just took a lesson with Jerry Briesath about a month ago and am definitely trying to work the things he suggested into my game which was a huge struggle for the first couple of weeks (scores 1 - 4).

I know what you mean about the new lessons. I know Woody had one from Mark Wilson and I had one from Sailor and was still working on my grip and stroke when starting this challenge.

8/10 of the way done:

Originally Posted by dmgwalsh
Brunswick VIP Pro 8
#1-105
#2-108
#3-116
#4-88
#5-(20,20,10,14,10,12,16,10,20,18)-150
#6-(9,14,10,12,20,12,9,20,20,20)-146
#7-(20,20,18,20,14,20,12,14,9,20)-166
#8-(20,20,10,10,12,20,20,16,10,12)-150

I hope they keep this up until new years.
Dennis

 

[chefjeff]

(snip)

Its easier to deal with selective memory than deal with the unvarnished truth.

Yes, it seems easier to...well...lie to oneself, but I don't think so in the long run.

It is much more effective however to be honest with oneself. As you indicated, if you're lying to yourself, how could you ever know what your game is lacking? And without that knowledge, the "fix" probably cannot occur. I want the fix, man, and I want it now!

I had to laugh at myself doing this exercise, when I thought for a fleeting moment that I would not count that jawed miss on my tight pocket. "It's not fair," was my inital thought. But it was fair and real, so I took my medicine and became better for it.

Keep it--and us--real, scott.

Jeff Livingston

 

[scottthesnot]

The Unvarnished Truth or "It Is What It Is"

I have been lifelong friends with two PGA tour golfers (one of which is now on the Senior Tour) and I know that these guys are zealots about knowing how the play, what their tendencies are and what they need to work on. As part of their practice/training routine they go to a teebox and hit 10 drives and chart how often they hit the fairway.... they then go to 180 yards and chart how often they hit the green and from 120 yards, how close they are to the pin.... and how many putts out of ten they hit from 8 ft. When that part of the practice routine is over - they often say "It aint pretty but it is the way it is..."

They also affirm that the (self imposed) pressure and tension when they are going thru this routine and charting the results is BIG TIME.

Ego and a false impression of how you play create unreal expectations. Add those unreal expectations to the normal pressures of tournament or match play and it is a recipe to fail.

* I play a lot of 99... about a week ago I was not a happy camper feeling that I was not playing worth a crap and that I had played a lot better about a year ago. I happened to run across some 99 score sheets from about that time and was able to see that I was actually playing a bit better!!

FYI.. I have taken the 99 scoresheet and made columns on the scoresheet additional comments beyond just charting how many balls on break and how many balls run... I added:

MS Missed shot (meaning I missed a shot I should have made)
MP/MS Missed Position
MP/PS/SB Played Safe-Safe Bad
MP/PS/SG Played Safe-Safe Good
UL Ugly Layout (even Jimmy M. couldn't have got out in this layout!)

I think the additional comments add insight to how I am playing and what I need to work on.

My friend on the Senior Tour went to a longer belly length putter (he had putted like Stevie Wonder for most his career) and has been winning a few tournaments & has won more $$$ in the last 2 or 3 years than he did in his entire regular tour career !!!

We often putt for $$$ and I still manage to win some dinero most of the time!!

My wife says I have too much free time on my hands.

 

[chefjeff]

Willie, here's rounds 4 and 5:

#4: 10 7 4 9 20 20 9 16 2 8 = 105

#5: 0 (ouch!) 10 -1 (yes, minus 1--double ouch!!) 5 10 7 10 13 7 1 = 62 Three times I snookered myself on the first rotation ball--cripes! (thank goodness that round's over!)

When is the final date for entries?

Jeff Livingston

 

[Williebetmore]

When is the final date for entries?

Jeff Livingston

Chef,
We will accept entries until 5 P.M EST next Tuesday January 4th. I will collate results that evening (if work is slow enough to permit it). Don't worry if you can't finish, we already think you are a better player than the 99% of posters who don't have the gumption to step up to the plate. In addition, I think it would be GREAT to do it again next year and see who is really serious about improving their game.

 

[drivermaker]

Jeff...even before you complete one more session, I think you deserve the "Honesty" award for posting the first two racks in session 5. It could have been so easy to wipe them out, but you didn't. My hat is off to you.

 

[Rackin_Zack]

Round 2

I decided to try this again since the first time I tried it my stroke was all messed up with the changes I had made after lessons with Mark Wilson. The changes are starting to get more natural now so here goes:

Set 1: 132 (20, 10, 14, 19, 10, 12, 9, 16, 12, 10)
Set 2: 123 (12, 7, 14, 12, 14, 19, 20, 6, 10, 9)
Set 3: 99 (1, 20, 7, 16, 8, 3, 20, 7, 8, 9)

It's exciting to see the improvement!

 

[chefjeff]

Jeff...even before you complete one more session, I think you deserve the "Honesty" award for posting the first two racks in session 5. It could have been so easy to wipe them out, but you didn't. My hat is off to you.

Thank you....I think. Integrating honesty is the process I've been living for over 20 years with pretty good results for building my happiness.

The reason I'm doing this game is to become a better player, not to beat the best here on AZ. I'd like to beat the best here, but that isn't my true goal.

I was tired and was going to stop playing round 5 as I realized my game was off, but that is one of the problems I'm working on overcoming: sustaining my game over several hours.

When playing league, it is: play a game, sit for a while, play another game, sit for a while, play another game, etc. This has made me a lazy player, I think. Games such as 14.1 (which I rarely play) and this one require me to go beyond the lazy and focus relentlessly for over an hour per round. This is good for me.

Jeff Livingston

 

[Rackin_Zack]

Jeff...even before you complete one more session, I think you deserve the "Honesty" award for posting the first two racks in session 5. It could have been so easy to wipe them out, but you didn't. My hat is off to you.

Hey, what about me...lol. I had me several zero's and one's, with a minus one as well!

 

[sniper]

Willie, I would love to do this again next year. It would be easier because alot of us would already know the rules and we could see just how much are practice has really payed off over the course of a year.

 

[drivermaker]

Hey, what about me...lol. I had me several zero's and one's, with a minus one as well!

I went back and looked at your scores...you're right...I blew it. You're also up for the "Honesty" award and might walk away with the most Oscars for the night. From the looks of your new round, you'll also get "Most Improved Player" and "Most Influential to the Group" if your totals dramatically improve.
EVERBODY will want to be getting lessons from Mark Wilson and he might be booked for the next year as a result of your play. Keep up the good work....

 

[Williebetmore]

you'll also get "Most Improved Player" and "Most Influential to the Group" if your totals dramatically improve.
EVERBODY will want to be getting lessons from Mark Wilson and he might be booked for the next year as a result of your play. Keep up the good work....

D'maker,
Of interest, a year ago before I started with Mark Wilson, my scores on the "bowlliards" version of this challenge were RARELY over 100 (with a high score I think of 170 out of 300), and only twice over 150 (I played it at least twice weekly for about a year). I haven't yet tried it since my game has improved so dramatically.

 

[drivermaker]

D'maker,
Of interest, a year ago before I started with Mark Wilson, my scores on the "bowlliards" version of this challenge were RARELY over 100 (with a high score I think of 170 out of 300), and only twice over 150 (I played it at least twice weekly for about a year). I haven't yet tried it since my game has improved so dramatically.

You might also get those awards, not so much for "bowliards" but for knocking off OHB at the DCC in straight or 8ball. I think he's waaay too tough for you in 1pocket or 9ball. After going to Danny D and Mark, if you did that, we'd ALL be running for lesson...seriously!! You gotta at least try it when you're there.