Mkgrady

When I hit a shot that I did not see and neither did anybody else I first estimate how far the ball went. Then I set my gps watch to zero and start walking. I walk up one side of the rough and stop at the estimated distance and cut across the fairway to the other side. This almost always works for me because I wind up walking close to it.

Thanks for all the good ideas. I’m current practicing on a new Top Tracer range at our course. The mat does seem softer than many I have used at regular driving ranges. But still you can tell if you hit it really fat. It hurts. The data it gives for each shot isn’t very informative. It shows carry, total distance, height and how much it curves. I think we can tell most of that without the feedback.

Ok. Thanks for the responses. They make sense. My swing fault is hitting fat, never thin. Maybe hitting off mats will train me to hit thinner (better). It doesn’t feel good to hit a fat shot off the mats I have been using. If I hit fat I usually assume I did not get enough hip turn. I like the idea of swinging on a mat without a ball to groove a repetitive swing. Can we agree that using a driver and the rubber tee will not cause a problem?

I see lots of content on this site and others that claim that hitting balls from a mat, as in at the driving range, is a bad idea. I have never seen anybody say why it is not good. I understand that hitting off grass has to be better because it is what we do on the golf course, but why are mats bad for practice? I don't know of any driving ranges that have real grass to hit from except maybe a couple of weeks of the year because the grass is gone from all the hits. Hitting off a rubber tee at a range seems ok for the driver but seems worthless for all the other clubs. How to people get good practice when the only thing available is the driving range? Why are the mats bad for practice?

Yikes! That is not one rule I would expect people to ignore or cheat. The need to count all the strokes seems so obvious. We are playing for money so that would seem like stealing. It’s not a lot of money but everybody wants to win.

I have always played casual rounds with players that don’t follow the rules. They will often move their ball, take gimmes, mulligans etc. with knowledge that these are violations but nobody in the group cares. Lately I have been trying to learn the rules and am amazed at how complicated they are. Starting tomorrow I will be playing in a men’s league and I assume they follow the rules. Can any of you give some examples of the most common rule violations you see from rookies that transition into playing by the rules? I think I know the very basic rules. I guess I’m asking what are the common rule violations that most casual players do not know are violations.

Not on the cape. Near Plymouth. Our winters have been mild enough lately to get out many times through the winter. It help to be near the ocean

My course is going to stay open this winter. I’m in Massachusetts. Does anybody have a heated vest they would recommend? I have a heated jacket but it would be too restrictive to make a good swing.

My course has similar channels but without the muddy torn up grass and bare spots. It’s just like the fairway grass.

These things have perfectly good grass in them. The grass is cut to the same length and there is no stones under the grass. There is no mention of them on the score card. I think my friend has it wrong. Thanks for the replies.

My friend tells me that when a ball lands in a swale/depression or your stance is in a depression the ball can be moved out without penalty. I’m talking about a ball in the fairway in a narrow channel made to help drain the fairway. This channel is about two feet wide and runs across the entire fairway. The grass is cut just like the fairway and the deepest part of this swale is only about three inches below the level of the surrounding fairway. Hitting out of this depression is not real easy but I’m doubting his position that it calls for a free drop. What rule would allow this?

I change my own grips often. I find it easier and more convenient than taking them to a shop. I changed the grips on my wife’s clubs. She recently took a lesson where the instructor told her the grips are not aligned correctly. I already knew that but I don’t pay any attention to the alignment of a grip when I put it on. I don’t see the point of it. Do people actually look at the grip to see how to place their hands on it? Some grips don’t even have any markings on them. I don’t see the importance of lining up the grip with the face square and then using that to make sure your grip is correct. Any thoughts on this ?

My first post! I have a golf buddy that is telling me I should not be taking a full swing with my wedges. I agree with him on shots less than 60 yards but it doesn’t make sense to me otherwise. I hit my 56 wedge 70 yards and my 60 wedge 60 yards. Unless I have a tight lie I use these wedges for those shots. As a point of reference I hit my six iron 160. My buddies method is to close the face of his wedges and knock down the angle of approach and let it run to the hole with a smaller swing. I prefer to land it near the hole because I’m not any good at partial swings. He says I just need more practice. Thoughts?