Desert Driver

Win a Major . . . no contest. Would love to hang out at Augusta National every Spring. Desert Driver

Hoodies ? Some guys care about how they look on the course and dress to the nines, others don't care and wear pretty much anything comfortable that's allowed where they play. My level of dress improves when playing nicer courses or in a league tournament. Playing with Hood Up is a no-go for me.

Lying about distance? What's the point? If you're actually planning your shots on each hole, how many holes do you actually get to hit away on ? A handful on 18 holes? (hopefully there is enough architectural character to your course that you get the opportunity to figure out which club is best suited for the tee box and you don't just default to the driver) Still, a skycaddie can measure all of this stuff and call it as it is. DD

I keep my profile handicap updated to the nearest whole number using my regular State Golf Association handicap. I also belong to a golf association that keeps a separate handicap using only association tournament scores. It supposedly prevents or limits sandbagging. None of you would sandbag, of course.

Which Do I Prefer for a Closing Hole, par 5, par 4 or par 3? I like both par 4's and par 5's as finishing holes, but not par 3's. A par 3 finishing hole has an odd feeling to it and I haven't come across one yet that doesn't seem out of place. Each course should have its' own character or personality and an ebb and flow to play. How that play ends should fit in with the flow of the course. JMO DD

If I've measured this shot before, and remember it, and the green is relatively flat and without features, most likely NO, I wouldn't spend the time re-measuring the distance. However, if I was on the far left or right side of the fairway or needed to land the ball somewhere specific on the green due to the dangers, I would.

IF THEY WERE BANNED. It would have a negative impact on my game for sure. I have become very accustomed to taking a distance reading with my rangefinder not just to pins, bunkers and hazards, but to all sort of objects including golf carts in front of us to see if they are out of range before hitting. I would be back to walking off distances from known yardages which certainly takes more time than raising the laser and taking a quick reading. Back to yardage books. That being said, those are the very reasons that support the use of rangefinders and GPS'. Be grateful for them.

I agree with David, excellent advice. Make sure you are playing from the appropriate tee for your current skill level. As for the hooking problem on this bad boy, make sure that your nervousness isn't translating into a TIGHT grip. And if the sight of all the trouble out in front of you gets you a little psyched out, try something that helps me. Stand behind the ball and look down the fairway and select the target where you want the ball to go allowing for your flight characteristic. Look for the line the ball will take to get to that point and pick a spot out in front of your tee'd ball that you can use for alignment that you want the ball to pass over on the way out to your target. Ok, now go up and take your stance and align yourself to that point a few feet out in front of the ball and imagine your shot. DO NOT LOOK UP AT ALL OF THE HAZARDS AND TROUBLE AND OB AND ALL THAT, just look at that spot out in front of your tee'd ball and then take your swing and put the ball right over that spot you picked out. This lttle pre-shot routine has really helped me get over some of the difficult shots that I come across out on the course. Focus on the shot and the target, not the trouble. Good luck -

First book that I've read that really talks about how to PLAY golf to score. Lots of books out there talk about mental toughness and how to hit great shots, but this book goes over strategies of playing YOUR best game, whatever that is. I've bought several copies of this book, two for myself and the rest as gifts for golfing friends and family members. I re-read the book a couple times a year to go over the basics that I seem to stray from time to time. I would highly recommend this book to those who are attempting to lower their scores.

Left Handed, Left eye dominant, and play righty. Had a lot of trouble squaring up the clubface to a truly square position in relation to my stance. Finally took a lesson from the club pro to figure out what my alignment problem was. We figured it out. I have to be very careful in aligning myself for a shot since my lead eye is dominant. Driving range practice with alignment sticks is helpful. My best success came from selecting an intermediate target a few feet out in front of the ball when standing behind the ball, then algning myself and the clubface using that intended line at address. With putting, I have two things that help me. I putt left hand low, which is my dominant hand and align the ball with my big toe of my front foot. I also use a mallet style putter that has a lengthy line to use for alignment. I mentally look for the path to the hole including the break and then make sure that my putter alignment corresponds with my intended line. Then I roll the ball into the hole. Hopefully, I've read the line and break properly. I've been told I am a very good putter. Like anybody, when I am having trouble hitting the ball where I intend, I go back to the basics and check my alignment first. I usually find the problem there.

A few years ago, a local golf course had aerated the fairways earlier that day and left the castings to dissolve on the fairway. When I asked the front desk how to deal with the holes and castings they said they are doing "lift, clean and place" for the next week to 10 days until they fairways have healed. This last week another course was aerating the fairways right then and there, but picking up all the castings. I asked if they had any rulings for balls coming to rest in an aeration hole, and I received the the instruction of, "lift, clean and place" if in an aeration hole. Asking for the local ruling seemed to be the best idea. Everybody was on the same page at the first teebox. Fairways and Greens . . .

Depends on who I am golfing with. Guys I golf with most of the time are not much on gambling. Most of the guys don't think they golf well enough to gamble on every hole. Consequently, If there is any betting, we will usually pick one or two of the shorter Par 3's on the course and have a closest to the pin contest; a buck or two each for those that want to opt in. It makes it fun for the higher handicappers to take a few bucks off the better golfers, if they can.

Par 3 - My tee shot spins off the front edge of the green back down the hill into a mostly dry water hazard between several tall clumps of grass. I can get a club on the ball but only if I swing Lefty. (I play righty) So I turn my SW upside and aim for a spot up on the green. Catch the ball perfectly and it comes right out, takes one bounce on the face of the hill and hops up on the green. To cap it off, I have a 12' putt uphill with a right to left break and roll it right in the middle for par.

I love my fairway woods, they are 2 of my favorite clubs. The 3-wood is my go-to club if my driver is having trouble and the two FW's are great for shorter par-4's and long par-5's. I have 15 yards difference between the two clubs. Several hybrids have gone through my bag. None are close to replacing either of the FW's. Warning; Neither club has the high trajectory of a hybrid from the deck (for me anyway). I can get a beautiful high flight by adjusting tee height, but off the deck they have a lower boring flight that is great when playing in the wind. Driver - TM Burner - 10.5*, stiff shaft. 3-Wood - TM Burner Superfast 2.0, 15*, stiff shaft. 250 yds. 5-Wood - TM Burner Superfast 2.0. 18* stiff shaft. 235 yds. Irons 4-PW, 4 iron is just over 210 yds. GW - 50* SW - 54* LW - 60* Putter I have a 25 yard gap between my 5 wood and my 4-iron. Where I play, I rarely have trouble with my spacing, so my bag is pretty well set. If I was consistently looking for a 220 club, I would have to pick up a club to fill the spot and drop a club from somewhere else. Also, I find it easier to hit my fairway woods well than a hybrid. Just me I guess. Good luck. DD

Thanks for the reply - I can relate with you. I have been a right to left player for a long time. (lefty that plays right handed) On occasion though, I've had trouble with the dreaded pull hook which can be a disaster. Consequently,this last year, I neutralized my grip a little bit and am trying to eliminate all that is left of the left side of the fairway. This works well with the G15's as they do a nice job of straight. They really square themselves up and are consistant at distance. I can work the ball some, but I have to overcome the weighting of the club to do so. And I don't get a lot of feedback as to where I hit the ball unless it is the extreme. I can always tell if I get way out on the toe and thin. High on the face gives a weak feeling and too close to the heel is an unknown unless I should strike a hosel, which is a dead giveaway. (Don't say that word) My scores have come down a lot over the last year, So, overall, I think weakening my grip has been a good move for me. I do get in periods where everything seems to be right and I feel a little bit like I'm protecting against the pull hook by blocking shots right and this is a hard rut to get out of for me. I can get plenty creative with my clubs, but there are limits. I THINK I could use some more feel to my game. I would also like to have an easier time of hitting shots under the wind, or at least, lower than I am currently hitting. It seems at times I get the ball up there in the jet stream and the next stop is going to be off in the rough or well off the green. A narrower sole would certainly help with difficult lies and playing from the rough. Wet rough is another story. My big questions are; How well am I capable of striking the ball? And will I learn and adjust to the increased feedback from a change in my irons? And will the change allow me to improve my scoring? All good questions. DD