Alistair

Don't ignore Adams or Wilson as clubs worth a look. They make great clubs and are probably at a lower price than many others. Wilson tries to match their fairway/hybrid clubs with their irons, so that you know exactly the distance changes as you move between clubs. That could be very helpful for many players. And don't ignore Titleist AP1 irons. Not cheap, but should be good for someone looking to improve their handicap.

The 2010 groove rules have no effect at the moment on amateurs other than those playing at the highest levels, and that is unlikely to change before 2024. However, clubs with the old grooves are no longer being produced by the manufacturers, so it is unlikely a golf store will have many or any still for sale with the old grooves.

Standard length clubs will very likely suit you; it's the 6'3" guy who may need something different. If you are constantly hitting the ground before ball, then your swing is probably not right. Try a half swing (only taking the ball back a little above waist height) and trying to smoothly strike the ball off the turf. Master that and you can gradually move on from there. And you are strongly advised to get lessons. As others have said, lots of practicing of the wrong things will never make you better.

My driver has a stiff shaft but my irons are regular. That came about because the irons were bought two or three years later than the driver, and though I worked with a professional on the choice of irons we did not use electronic equipment. However, both driver and irons do well for me (I have a 7 handicap). But the nagging feeling has been in my head for a while that maybe I could get extra distance with another shaft and a more recent club. So, last evening I had a fitting for the new Ping Anser adjustable driver. I told the fitter, who was excellent, that I thought I should have a driver with a regular shaft. He switched me between stiff and regular shafts, different makes of shaft, and changed clubheads to try a variety of lofts. None of these changes made any significant difference to the readings from the monitor. Not clubhead speed, launch angle or spin rate. And I was achieving exactly the same range of distances with a stiff shaft as a regular. To add to the mystery the new club was no different in readings than I was getting with my TaylorMade R7 which is about 5 years old. Maybe the new club would be slightly more forgiving (it has a wider face), but the difference was minimal. I departed mildly unhappy that there was no magic formula for increasing my distance but also more than mildly happy that there was no point in spending almost $400 on a new club.

The reference to tapping in a putt confuses the issue. It assumes the ball lies so close to the hole that it is easily holed. If that is the case, the opponent would normally concede the putt so no issue then arises about order of play. However, what could be happening (though not mentioned) is the practice of some leagues or clubs who combine match and stroke play - in defiance of the rules of golf - in which case no concessions can happen. If that is the case, then a player could have to mark a ball lying 6 inches from the hole to preserve correct sequence of play for the match play event. The farce of that is one minor evidence of the foolishness of mixing two different types of golf competition.

One of the reasons why a so-called club rule of 'drop another ball near where the first was lost' is unacceptable is that it takes away the risk of losing the next ball. Playing again from the location of the previous stroke means the player faces the same challenges as when the first stroke was played, and rightly so.

As others have said, most etiquette breaches are on and around the green. For example, it's essential to be still and quiet while others are putting, and it's good etiquette (but often not recognized) not to stand directly in line of sight of the person putting - such as directly behind the hole. And you'll know you've really arrived with etiquette if you take off your cap while shaking hands at the end of a round!

It'll be great to learn etiquette, but you may then be better than most other golfers! I played recently with someone who proudly told me he'd played golf for more than 60 years, but on one of the early holes he walked all over my line of putting. When he did the same on the next hole I asked, politely, that he would not do that again. He murmured an apology, but how can someone who has played for decades not know to take great care to avoid standing on the line of putt of your playing partners? On the example you gave, playing from off the green when others are already on the green but further away, that's common. Often a group will agree to always do that since you probably want the pin left in the hole while you play while they must have it tended or removed. Taking the flag out for their putts and then putting it back in for yours takes time. But playing out of turn breaches Rule 10b which says: " After both players have started play of the hole, the ball farther from the hole is played first." (Note that the sequence of play comes under 'rules' and isn't about 'etiquette'.) In stroke play there is no penalty but in match play an out-of-turn shot can be recalled by the opponent. Many, though, champion 'ready golf' because it speeds up play, and few would argue with doing that.

I bow to your wisdom, and cannot find anything in rules or decisions that require waiting until all have holed out before anyone repairs a spike mark. However I did notice this decision: 13-2/36 Competitor Sanctions Repair of Spike Damage on His Line of Putt by Fellow-Competitor Q. If a fellow-competitor purposely improves the competitor's line of putt by repairing spike damage, the fellow-competitor is penalized under Rule 1-2 . If the fellow-competitor's action is sanctioned, tacitly or otherwise, by the competitor, is the competitor also subject to penalty? A. Yes, under Rule 13-2 , for allowing his line of play to be improved. I would understand that to mean that Player A has finished play, bends down to repair spike marks that were on his line, and means to be helpful by repairing a few more on the line of Player B's putt. Player B murmurs 'Thank you' or nods appreciatively and then putts. Both are then penalized.

I do not think there is any USGA rule requiring someone to show their ball, or even tell others what ball they are using, before a round. Rule 6:5 is fairly minimal: 6-5 . Ball The responsibility for playing the proper ball rests with the player. Each player should put an identification mark on his ball. In other words, the only person responsible for identifying a golf ball is the one playing with that ball. But the 'should' in the second sentence is almost a must, since the intention of the rule is that the player can, without doubt, know his/her own ball. It's not enough to have a brand and number. The ball you find could be someone else's and not yours if that is the only info you have. The key question would always be: "Could this ball belong to someone else?" If the answer is any kind of "yes" then it cannot be assumed to belong to the player who is searching. The issue behind this whole posting is trust. Golf is a game that assumes trust, both in complying with the rules and calling penalties on yourself if something goes wrong (like the ball moving as you address it). There will always be a minority who deliberately break rules. Once others recognize that then, if they have good evidence, they should certainly challenge that player. I suppose the ultimate informal sanction is that others refuse to play with or against a person known to breach the rules.

I know competition committees invent their own rules, but of course the actual Rules of Golf forbids waiving a rule of golf: 33-1 . Conditions; Waiving Rule The Committee must establish the conditions under which a competition is to be played. The Committee has no power to waive a Rule of Golf.

Anyone able to give an authoritative reply to this point in the original question? Can you repair spike marks as soon as you have holed out or only when all players in your group have holed out? Since nearly all pros walk to the edge of the green after they have finished, and then head off to the next tee from there, they are not going back to repair spike marks after the last player's putt drops. So, either they are not repairing spike marks or they are doing it before everyone has finished play.

I bow to your wisdom, but I've seen players on TV tap down at 3 or 4 places on a distance of about 10 feet between their ball and the hole. None of those places were where their ball landed on the green, so either the group which went through earlier never repaired any ball marks or they are tapping down something else.

Just started with the HEX Black Tour. Excellent ball. Its dimple design is marketed as especially useful in windy conditions, and I think there is a difference (never easy to prove). What especially attracted me to the Black is that it's not marketed as a high spinning ball yet feels soft for putting and short chips. It's not pillow soft like some balls, but very far from the firm, almost rock-like feel of some. The advice I've seen before about choosing the right ball is to start with what works best for the shortest shots and then work back. The HEX Black seems to fit well for me from the short back to the long shots.

Several times this year I have seen pros (on both men's and women's tour) use their putters to tap down some irregularity on the ground between them and the hole before putting. They're not repairing a pitch mark and then flattening the surface afterwards. These actions with putters are the only 'repair' they are making. Isn't repairing the indentation of a pitch mark the only repair allowable? It's impossible to be sure what they are doing but the suspicion would have to be they are getting rid of spike marks. That is not allowed before putting, and yet I have never seen anyone penalized. Also, I have seen several players, after holing out, go back over their previous line of putt, and tap down the ground - presumably repairing spike marks. But that is before other players have holed out. Are they not supposed to wait before dealing with spike marks until every player has finished?