Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Playing through on the Golf Course


Michael Conville has served as owner and president of North Palm Beach, Florida’s Beacon Construction Group since 2004. Away from work, Michael Conville enjoys playing golf.

When it comes to golfing etiquette, one of the most common issues players and parties deal with involves playing through. To play through implies that one or more golfers are permitted to interrupt another party’s hole, play on, and continue to the next hole, effectively cutting ahead of the other golfers. Playing through can happen for a variety of reasons, though it most commonly occurs when golfers ahead are playing at a much slower pace than those behind.

Playing through benefits both sides of the interaction. Faster teams are allowed to progress at their own pace, while teams being passed do not have to worry about hurrying through their shots. Golf etiquette dictates that the decision to play through should be made at the invitation of the slower team. Of course, the slower team is under no obligation to do so, and may be unable to make such an offer if the team ahead of their group is not playing exceptionally fast.

Similarly, a faster group that feels forced to request a play through should first make sure that they are consistently playing at a faster pace and that holes ahead are available to actually play through. Faster parties should be especially quick with their shots while the slower team is waiting for them to play through the shared hole.

Monday, June 27, 2016

A Brief Overview of the Scoring System in Golf



Michael Conville, president of North Palm Beach, Florida’s Beacon Construction Group, is an avid golfer. In his free time from overseeing company operations and managing live job sites, Michael Conville maintains membership with The Breakers Palm Beach, a resort with two championship golf courses.

Understanding the golf scoring system can be difficult for new players. While there are a number of variations on how a round of golf can be played and scored, winning a hole or a round is generally based on golfing under par. Every golf course assigns a par score to each hole. A relatively easy hole might be listed as a par three, while a more difficult hole would be labeled a par four. It is the mission of every golfer to make par or to get the ball in the hole in fewer strokes than the par suggests.

For example, a golfer who puts the ball in the hole in two strokes on a par three is said to have finished the hole at one stroke under par. This event is also referred to as a birdie, and it gives a player a score of -1. An eagle refers to finishing a hole at two strokes under par, with a hole score of -2, while the rare double eagle involves finishing a hole at three strokes fewer than suggested.

Conversely, a bogey or double bogey means a golfer has completed a hole at one or two strokes over par, respectively. Such an instance would be scored as a +1 or +2. At the conclusion of a round of golf, players tally their scores and compare their total stroke number. A player with a score of -9 finished the round at nine strokes under par, while a player with a score of +1 has finished the round at one stroke over the course par.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Hole in One Information regarding Amateur and Pro Golfers

 


Michael Conville, president of Beacon Construction Group, has more than 30 years of experience as a business leader in the construction industry. Beyond his work as a contractor and construction professional, Michael Conville likes to play and watch golf.

The odds of hitting an ace, more commonly known as a hole in one, on a golf course are exceptionally high. Golf Digest, in partnership with the National Hole in One Association, has maintained hole-in-one statistics for more than six decades. Golf Digest estimates that about 150,000 aces are hit each year. While this may sound like a significant number, these aces are hit over the course of nearly 500 million rounds of golf. Golf Digest places the odds of a hole in one for a typical amateur player at 12,500 to one.

The rarity of the hole in one can be appreciated further by looking to the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Tour, where only 631 aces have been hit over three decades. This averages to fewer than 22 aces per year by individuals who are paid to practice and play golf, making the odds of a professional player hitting an ace to be roughly 2,500 to one.