Cypress

The rules are incredibly confusing, so all of my advice comes with: As far as I know... Yes, it is possible for the nearest point of relief to be to the left of the cart path. I've never seen somebody mark two spots just so that they can measure which one is the proper spot. Every time this situation has come up while I'm playing it has always been pretty obvious to which side was the nearest point of relief. I don't think the rule intended for the golfer to actually mark two spots and measure, that would slow down play too much.

I've been fortunate enough to receive very few golf related gifts. Those who buy me gifts understand that I'm very selective with what I use on the course. I have never received a golf related gift that I didn't ask for. The only instance where I was pushed to use something I didn't want was when I was in the market for a new golf bag. My father kept trying to pawn off his TaylorMade bag to me, but I wasn't a fan. I stood my ground and bought my own.

The mats that I've hit off of were never heard enough to hurt my wrists - or maybe I've just been lucky so far. Are you hurting your wrists on particular shots, or just over time your wrist starts to hurt? Unless you're working on a swing flaw, and not just beating balls, I would try to limit the amount of shots you hit off of mats. I've always hit the ball well off mats, because it covered up any contact issues I had when I hit a fat shot. It sort of made practicing counter productive.

I played on my golf team all four years when I was in high school (just graduated last year). Most of the spots on our team were already filled by players who were on the team previous years, and our coach supported the idea of seniority playing a role in who plays. I was fortunate enough to play starting freshman year because our team wasn't very talented. Outside of swing fixes (which can't be accomplished in a week), here are a few tips that may help your chances of making the team: If you're trying out at a golf course - try to play the course beforehand so you have an advantage over those who have never played there. You're registered on a golf forum, so I'm going to assume that you're pretty serious about golf. If so, let your coach know you care about the game. You'll have a much better chance at making the team if you let your coach know that you practice a lot, take lessons (if you do), etc. The more serious of a golfer you sound, the more you'll look appealing to make the team Dress properly. It sounds simple, but if you dress like a hacker out there it doesn't help your case to make the team. Try to relax, one poor shot in front of your coach doesn't mean your chances are gone. Everybody plays poorly at times, if you happen to have an off day don't worry about it, just come back strong the next day. If you can get a hand on Bob Rotella's book - Golf is not a Game of Perfect, read it. Most importantly, and it's a total cliche, but have fun!