burnabao

Don't try and hit the ball. Swing and let the ball get in the way. Easier said than done!

So, 21 handicapper (currently), usually shoot somewhere around the mid 90s. Last weekend I had the single worst round of golf I have ever experienced. I couldn't contact the ball for love nor money, I mean it was Shanksville. Resorted to trying to chip my way round the course just to get it over and done with, but even that was beyond me. Gave myself two hands full of blisters, shot 126 and was thoroughly fed up. Blisters equalled no practice for me all week, and then this afternoon I go out and shoot a personal best of 90 round my home course, with some of the purest ball striking I've ever produced. No physical differences this week from last, but it was all just "working" today. And that, for me, is what this game is all about. Days like today where golf seems like the easiest thing in the world - what a great feeling. Stupid game... ;-)

Take a couple of lessons - your swing clearly doesn't need reinventing, but a pro should be able to highlight the one/two principal reasons why you've started to hit bad shots and will be able to give some direction/focus to your practice to help you get over it. Also, I find that knowing the cause of the problem makes it a lot easier to solve than just knowing the problem itself (i.e. if "problem" = slice, "cause" could be any of swing path, clubface, weight transfer etc., all of which will require different solutions). This is where a pro's advice is invaluable. Nothing worse than trying aimlessly to solve a problem that you don't fully understand. IMHO.

The massive gulf in opinions in this thread is precisely why, I think, asking to hit other people's clubs is a bad idea - if you have different views on the topic, then any damage (cosmetic or otherwise) will surely cause a disagreement. For what it's worth, I would (and do) let my friends use/try my clubs, but only because I a) trust them not to be complete duffers with them and b) know that I could insist they compensate me for any damage without causing a ruckus. As for allowing a stranger to have a try - no chance. I mean, no chance in hell!

I was also looking at the Powakaddy Freeway II, as well as the Motocaddy S1 (I wanted to stick to an established manufacturer for spares/servicing availbility in the future). I wrote off the S1 pretty quickly as it didn't provide as much information as the others (yardages etc.); the FWII looked good/tested well, but In the end I plumped for the S3 since it gave me more distance preset options, I liked the look of the white frame, and it has a USB charging port integrated into the chassis - since I use Golfshot on my iphone as an on-course GPS, this is a real plus. Alos, it was cheaper than the FWII, which really sealed the deal. As for performance in competition, we don't allow distance-measuring devices in comps, so I used the S3 in "Competition Mode" (no distance readouts and no ability to send the trolley off 10/20/30y etc. ahead). Not having the latter was a bit of a shame, but I felt significantly fresher, more energised and less groggy on the final 3 holes than I normally would when carrying/pushing. And as Chris G alludes to, not having to worry about the weight of extra clothing, waterproofs, drinks and the like is another real plus. Again, from a pure "enjoyment of my day" perspective, I am very pleased with the electric trolley. Less fatigue, more concentration on my shots, which will hopefully lead to lower scores (one day!).

So, having charged the Motocaddy battery for the recommended 8hrs overnight, I played 18 holes today with the new electric trolley and my initial thoughts are: a) my back/legs are significantly less tired/aching than they normally would be after 18 holes; b) the convenience on-course of being able to carry waterproofs/food/drinks without worrying about weight is great; c) being able to send the trolley off down the fairway/to the next tee did, I think, help keep my own pace of play up versus that of my playing partner who was carrying. Overall, the round was very relaxing/enjoyable, and I think it's only fair to say that the trolley made a contribution to that. The reduced fatigue from pushing/pulling a manual trolley up and down a hilly course noticeably helped my concentrate on more shots right until the last green, and I actually shot a PB round my home course (could be pure coincidence, but who knows?!). Obviously it's very early days, but so far, I'm pleased with the initial experience. I'm entered into a competition on Saturday, so we'll see how it stacks up in the competition environment.

Well, it's with a little shame that I pushed the button on a Motocaddy S3 last night after much research and deliberation. I'm only 29, fit/strong and more than able to carry a full bag for 18 holes, but since buying a push trolley a couple of years ago, I found myself just "enjoying" the game more. I couldn't find much in the way of feedback from people in a similar situation (aside from the usual carry vs push/ride banter) so will definitely post my experiences back here. I have no medical/physical factors to consider - I will evaluate the experience purely on "enjoyment". Now, where are my pipe and slippers...?

Playing with a friend of mine earlier this year, he topped his drive and pulled the ball into the tee marker for the ladies/juniors tee ahead. It was one of those spherical markers, and the ball must have hit it square on - the ball flew directly up and back over our heads, must have been at least 100 feet in the air, bounced off of the road, back almost as far again into the air and finally came to rest on the driving range a good 100+ yards behind us. I have NEVER laughed so hard on the course in my life!

I scored +12 against my handicap, largely due to two balls in the drink at different holes and way too many double bogeys. I didn't feel like I played "badly", but I certainly didn't play smart.

So I've been playing golf with varying levels of committment for about 5 or 6 years I guess. This year I finally joined a club and this last weekend I entered my first competition. I by no means embarrassed myself (although I did come dead last in the end), but I just can't describe how much fun it was! There wasn't a huge amount to win/lose on the line but playing for "something" other than just fun was a completely different experience - but I guess most of you guys already know that. Anyway, I'm hoping I can get my head in the right place over the coming months and start to bring my "A" game to the competitions rather than the unspectacular show I put on on Sunday! Did you guys notice a big change in approach/mindset when you started playing competetively, at whatever level?

Top of the list for me would be to add (not replace) a wedge, maybe a 56 with a different bounce to your SW/LW give you some more options around the green. Personally I struggle to hit any iron longer than a 5i with great accuracy or consistency, so I'd switch the 4i to a 4h. Actually, those two things would pretty much give you my bag's set-up!

I've just finished listening to the "Not a Game of Perfect" audiobook and can't wait to try and put it into action. The idea of really visualing the shot you want to play, seeing it fly/roll to your target is something I've never done but it makes perfect sense. I've always been one of those "Don't hit it in the lake" kind of guys, but I'm going to really try to change my perspective and see if Dr Bob's theory works in practice! From the comments here, I think "The 15th Club" might be next on my hitlist...

On the few occasions that I've managed to convince the wife to play/walk a round with me, she has always had far more interest in turning up lost balls than anything else. Maybe it's a hunter/gatherer instinct!

Fortunately it doesn't take a huge amount of direct "sun"light to get most solar cells active, so I think during the summer, even in the UK on a cloudy day, you might still be ok. I was at a club in Portugal a few months back and all of their marshals' cart were solar powered. Maybe they just don't produce enough juice to keep running all day, round after round? They've got to be the future though, one way or the other.