Warfish

Actually, for me I am very apt to top the ball badly. Now, obviously some of that is the old standby of new player, pulling one's head early. But it also has to do with my height, the short club and my stance (somewhat upright as I have two very bad knees and am quite overweight). A longer club could (should?) help this a bit. I hope.

My Brother (my playing partner) and I break one rule, since we are beginners still learning th every basics. The Lost Ball. Almost always this is on a drive only. In such cases, if we slice the ball horridly, and it goes OB and cannot be located, we drop and do NOT take a Penalty. Frankly, we feel we're not good enough to hold ourselves to that kind of penalty just yet. One day? Sure. Just not yet. However, if there is a Watar Hazard we blast into, even if off to one side, we DO take the Penalty and re-hit or drop as appropriate. Beyond that we do not knowing break any rules (we dont even do the other newbie rule-break, moving or improving ones lie). Only the "Sliced it into the Unfindable Woods to the Right" House rule.

Can the Titleist Vokey SM's be fitted for extremely tall golfers, like other clubs can be? I am 6'5" and I find most Wedges in the stores awful short for me.

Shot 47 (Well, actually 51 with Penalty Strokes) on a Full Length 9-Hole Course (Broad Run Golf). Shot horridly the first 4 holes. Finished well, with two birdies int he final three holes. 18 Putts total. Not great, but not completely horrible for my third round since returning to the game after 10+ years.

I really appreciate all the advice and support. I know how silly it is (or can seem) to be so socially inept as this. The irony is that I've worked in Customer Service almost for my whole professional life, dealing directly with people almost all day long, every day. Who knows. In any event, went to a local Course, a full length 9 Hole'r. Played the 9 one time, shot 47. Well, 47 without counting lost-ball penalty strokes (I know, cheesy, but it keeps it all from being too overwhelming for me). Played horrible thge first two holes, was very uncomfortable, lost 4 balls on those two holes alone. And I guess I got used to the stress a bit, started playing a bit better, didn't lose any more balls, and even went legit Birdie (4 on a Par 5), Bogey (4 on a 3) and Birdie (3 on a 4) to finish the round rather pleasantly. Played alone most of the 9, hooked up with a slow older couple (man and wife) on the last two holes. They were very nice folks, very pleasant and nice. Thanks again for the support. It helps to know I'm not the only guy who may have felt this way at one point or another.

So, sad as it is to admit, I have very very few friends, and fewer still who play Golf. Basicaly, my Brother is my only Golf-playing friend within 300 miles, and sadly for me he works a schedule directly in opposition to my own (for example, he works every Saturday and Sunday, I do not). Which would be fine.....if I wasn't a huge Antisocial wuss who isn't fond of just rolling up to a course and getting paired with folks he doesn't know. Oh, and I am a 35+ Handicapper too (only played two rounds total since I retook up the game a month ago). So here I am, I want to play and play somewhat regularly (twice a month at least), but my only playing partner has a crap job, cannot get time off, and I'm frankly tired of burning my own vacation time to hang out with him (running low anyway). Yet I am socially inept, terrified of and uncomfortable with playing with strangers, and worse yet a damn poor golfer at this stage of the game. And thanks to the anonymity of the interweb, I can admit such without the huge embarassment that would normally come along with it. The trouble is, I don't know what to do about it. I'm 31, and at this stage I'm not sure how much I can change my inherant personality, and my brother isn't changing jobs anytime soon. I don't know, maybe I'm just screwed.

PING is what my Father player before he died (Suicide, when I was 19, about 12 years ago now). I am a rather ideosyncratic man, and playing what my father played holds meaning for me. As for Titleist.....I don't know, when I was younger (and played) I always liked the idea of playing Titleist golf balls. And now that I am older and coming back to the game after ten+ years out, I still like the old loyalty. That, and I find their clubs to be some of the most aetheticly appealing out there (and as I said, odd bird that I am, appearance means alot to me).

With apologies in advance, I am quite confused on which model in these two companies lines are best suited for the new, inexperienced or plain old bad golfer. The two brands catalogues both go into great detail regarding technology and features, with is great for the experienced knowledgeable player. I am neither as yet. So, if one is in the market for a nice new set of Ping or Titleist Irons, which model would be most appropriate for such a low-abillity player?

Thank you both for the advice, it is appreciated. While it is true I appreciate the aethetics of Blad-Style Irons, I have heard (as you lay out as well) that they are far less forgiving for a new player. I also appreciate teh advice on fitting, as I am quite an unusual size, when compared to the average. I suppose, when it comes to brand, it'll all be personal taste and looks more than anything else anyway. A top-of-the-line Max-Game-Impreovment PING Iron set should be just as good as one from Callaway or Titleist or Taylor Made, etc. Well, if nothing else, I still have four more months of 3-days a week at the range and a few more actual rounds to play before I have to make any kind of decision.

When I last played, I was 20, a College Athlete, 6'5" and 290 of pure Strength. I am now 31, 385 of pure Beer Belly, with a torn ACL my MD's won't repair (de to weight). So I figured NOW is the perfect time to re-take up the fine Sport of Golf! So, I went out and pickud up a set of clubs at Dick's Sporting Goods, a brand called Accuity. I didn't notice the clubs were "Senior Flex", although it's been so long since I played, I don't know if thats good for me or not. Long story not-so-short, I tend to be a gear snob in most on my hobby endeavors (I don't use a Fishing Rod, I use a G-Loomis, I don't play guitar, I play Gibsons, etc, etc, etc). But it's been so long, I have no idea A. Whats good today, and B. What would be appropriate for a still-strong but rather unflexable and out of shape older guy. My Father (RIP) used to play PING, so I feel a bit of brand loyalty to that (as a younger man I walways wanted to play what my father did, even though he was horrid at the sport). But I also like the look (and perhaps cost) os some current Callaway and Titleist equipment, but frankly am lost on where to start. I plan to replace the starter set in about 4 months, when I can have ~$1300 to spend on Golf. So, sorry for being so open ended, but any and all suggestions are welcome. After all, asking this is why I joined. Thanks in Advance.

Accountant for a Railroad

Using entry-level Accuity currently. Looking to upgrade soon.