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I agree completely. The funny thing is, we never look back and say "I had no right to make that 50-footer on the second hole", or "I'll never chip one in from THERE again!" I know I've never said "I shot 75, but it really should have been 80". We take those for granted as well-deserved good results from improbable locations.

I think you summed up the why do use caddies pretty well in three reasons: Pack mule / course maintenance GPS / course scout / game manager Emotional Support / Coaching I think the real question is why do pros maintain a regular caddie as opposed to using someone different each week. I think the answer is obviously NOT #1 and obviously YES to #3. But I think #2 is an interesting issue. I would imagine most tour stops have good local caddies - I must assume that Riviera has some good caddies that really know the course so well they might be an advantage over a regular caddie - think the guy Crenshaw used at Augusta. But I would guess some of the issues with using a local caddie are: 1) there's probably not one for the entire field; 2) how do you know / do you have confidence that you are getting a good one? Still I'm a little surprised no head strong pro has tried the "local caddie" strategy. Maybe because there might be more downside than upside. I don't know if this will work but this links to an article from two years ago where a tour pro talks about what the tour would be like if there were no caddies. Undercover Tour Pro: What If We Had To Play Without Caddies? - Golf Digest Here's the question: What would the World Ranking look like if we had to carry our bags? No caddies. Also, FWIW, there was an interview podcast last year with Webb Simpson's caddie right after he won the Players. He talked about one of the things he does to prepare for a big round is prepare a list of non-golf things to talk about to keep Webb from thinking about golf every minute of the round.

Hope all is better soon... Give some serious thought to a yoga class. They incorporate strength and flexibility.

"WOULDA, COULDA, SHOULDA" is language used by those who didn't...a phrase my old high school baseball coach used to say. But yeah I agree with your premise...we often think we could just drop a few just like that in our post round analysis if we "only do this". We con ourselves. There is a good thread around here on that.

I have glare problems too. A sun shade might help.

I refuse to use a machine. Ask me again in 15 years when my knees are shot 😜 I ran 1.5 the other day, then I got busy so haven't been out since. I'm going to go for 2 miles tomorrow. Goal is 8 total miles this week.

I played Harbour Town years ago on my honeymoon. My wife met me while I was a golfer on the SIU golf team. So I came as a package. She rode in the cart and had a great time. Good woman. She never tried to rein in my golf.

Northern Indiana's the same. Courses are swamps. Water splashes off the shoes walking across the fairways. Even worse, on the few days it hasn't rained, it's still largely been cloudy and cool, so the course conditions don't improve much. But the only option is to not play. I wear old shoes and slacks and just realize that I'm not going to score as well. It's still fun as long as I don't let it get to me.

Interesting topic. I appreciate the science of the golf swing. It impresses me the knowledge espoused on this site from the clearly scientific thinkers. That was never my strong point. Not that I don't "get" it, or understand what is being said but I do believe there comes a point where it gets to much. I'm more of a visual learner so that may be part of it. I tend to learn seeing what @iacas or @mvmac are trying to say as opposed to reading a post on it. The great thing about this site is that video is so revered as a learning tool that someone like me is better able to grasp the scientific concepts by seeing them in action. I will never care or seek out my trackman numbers but if I can learn based on these things how it can help my swing by seeing the better way of doing things that's all the better. Thank you to the scientists. It sounds corny but because of your thirst for knowledge and getting things correct we all benefit.

Here's how my golf off-season generally goes: November: last bit of the golf season. Weather can be really good and you can get some really good golf in. Growing season ends in November here, but you can get a lot of good golf in if you want. If the weather turns south early, not a huge deal because you've just been playing golf for 6 months. December: Worst month of the year for golf, generally. Any snow will shut down courses for a while with low sunlight and short days. Golf is a bonus. There's a bunch of other stuff going on in December, so I don't get too antsy to play. January: Highly variable month. It can be butt cold but also throw in a couple of nice 60 degree, sunny days. Generally, I'm starting to get some golf itch at this point. I'm not necessarily dying to get out on the course, but I definitely want to get to the range. February: It's so close I can taste it. Weather is slowly improving. More sun, less snow, and the days are getting longer. Really wanting to play golf now. Courses will generally be open a decent amount, so I will usually be able to hit and giggle once or twice. Really gearing up for full golf. March: I've suffered long enough. Give me good weather and golf. Even though I'm ready, this can be the worst weather month. We'll go from 70 degrees to snow in 24 hours or less. Handicap season begins. But frequently I can't play until the end of the month. I'm well past antsy to play golf, starting to get the shakes. April: f*** this. Every time I want to play, there's some storm that makes it impossible. My swing is willing. Courses are open and in solid shape, with some winter kill here and there. Assuming you can get out when there's not a storm coming through. I stare out my window at work longingly when it's sunny and 70 out, knowing that the weather on the weekend will bring snow. Postings in the winter depression thread skyrocket. My wife is searching amazon for straightjackets, and I noticed a contractor coming by with some padded wall samples. May: Golf season, finally! Weather is pretty good, and courses are fully open and in good shape now. Hooray! 6 months until November! Wait, only 6 months until November?!?!?!?

Interesting subject to discuss. I mostly go long with your ideas. Outside of the physical effort of carrying the bag and grooming the course, I imagine one of the biggest reasons every pro has a caddie is because they can have one. And they are afraid that IF a caddie might make a 1 or 2 stroke difference, then they sure as hell want to have that advantage when everyone else in the field has a caddie.

I've suffered mightily in the past and I am done with it! I detest playing from soaked, sloppy, muddy turf. I watched the AT&T Pebble Beach tourney today and saw some pros hit some juicy, chunky shots despite it being lift, clean and place. If they can't hit those shots, what chance do I have? I told my buddies at the end of the season last year, to not bother calling me to play until early or late May, depending on how the Spring goes. Of course, last year was the second wettest year on record, so things were "semi-spongy" the entire Summer. Hoping for a hot, dry Summer this year.

@bkuehn1952, great post. Yeah, that kinda cognitive dissonance affects most golfers to a varying degree. Some blame, some explain away and then there are some that blatantly deny any ownership of a particularly poor day on the course. A good friend of mine is fairly streaky - I guess you can say that about most weekenders like myself but his worst is 20+ shots than his best. He always says something at the end of a bad (for him) round, shooting let's say 104 - "yeah tough day, but we all know I'm an eighties shooter". Of course he does shoot in the low eighties on occasion so it's not an entirely a lie but we all patronize the shit out of him and it's funny how it seems to make him feel better.. lol!

Typically, I accept that my bad tee shots/approach/chips are what they are. What I tend to not accept is 3 putts where the 2nd putt was well within range that I shouldn't miss. Long range putts I accept as just as likely to be a 3 putt as a 2 putt though. So really, when I walk off the course I typically only think of those 2 or 3 really short putts that didn't go in as missed opportunities. Either way, I scored what I did and got what I deserve. Still, it is fun to look back and say "if only".

While enjoying a post-round beverage...a friend of mine said "Man, those three 3-putts really cost me." To which I replied "Not nearly as much as the fifteen 2-putts."

If you are in the Apple ecosystem, highly recommend Mirror Vision. I think an Android version is in the works. Not sure. Basically watch what you do without having to move your head. Mirror Vision Golf | Remote Camera Golf Training App

Since I've been a runner for over 50 years, and am a current high school track and cross country coach, I feel qualified to comment. Most people deciding "to get back in shape" start running way too fast. They become exhausted, winded, tired, and sore. It's an unpleasant feeling, so the training period is short lived. I tell people to start running very gently, a comfortable pace, where you can carry on a conversation with a partner without being out of breath. It might not be faster than a brisk walk. Do that for 15 minutes and try to increase by 10% a week. This is effective for conditioning, cardiovascular health, weight control, and just plain feeling good. Doing this, many adults become pretty fit and enjoy the running much more. You simply don't have to train like you're going to the olympics and exhaust yourselves.

You will never see me move to the state up north! 😝 I do miss my annual trips to Oakland Hills though.

Down for the count? nah... standing 8-count at worst.

Did this drill today. It was fun. Got to 15 feet with one ball left and drilled both the 15 and 18 foot putts! Couldn’t three peat at 21 feet though lol.

I have played 2 courses in Gatlinburg, Bent Creek and Gatlinburg Golf Course (actually in Pigeon Forge). GBGC was 18 years ago, so I don't recall much about it. Bent Creek was last year. When we go to GB we usually stay in Brandywine Condos, an old complex that is on the 15th fairway of Bent Creek, but is not part of the resort. My son and I have played it maybe 3 times. Due to the steep hills, there are several quirky holes with blind shots and 90 degree doglegs with iron tee shots. The course was in OK condition. Lots of gnats. IIRC GBGC was similar but maybe nicer, but it was so long ago it is hard to remember. I wouldn't go to GB to golf, but if I happen to vacation in GB, I would play golf there.

I just returned from the putting green practicing this game. I really like it. It's a great warm up and forces one to concentrate on the putt since there are consequences for a miss. I chose an uphill line since my biggest miss is short. The first two times I only got 9'. The third and final time I made 12. My misses were close but not close enough.

I just tried this 3 times tonight while practicing, best I got was 12 feet with 2 balls left but didnt get either to drop from 15 feet. Definitely a fun way to add a little pressure to practice.

Another thing I noticed with high speed video. You can zoom in on ball and see how the face reacts to contact both DTL and FO and interpolate whether contact was made towards heel or toe by how much face closes or opens. I don't use the dry erase to see contact as much anymore because I can see from video pretty much where contact is. It's not just for woods, this happens on irons as well.

Welcome back, buddy! I’m sorry to hear about all your struggles, and wish you all the best!

Casey, you just need to stop drinking so much water (beer?) and pee when you get home... in your own gender neutral restroom.

I am really tired of listening to the "squish, squish ..." sound as I walk along the fairway.

For the winter I have "mudder" pants... don't even wash them between rounds. If I don't play in the mud (with drives that back up) then I'm not playing at all. Besides, 30 degrees or pouring rain can be invigorating. That's why they invented hot toddys and fireplaces for afterwards.

After the terrible start to our golf season in Michigan I believe I'm going to have to become a mudder if I hope to play at all! Rain is predicted for 6 of the next 9 days! We have too much water now...

At my home course they do it for you. They move every set of tees up in the Winter... they get it. Less hard on the ego that way... 😁

I play year round and our course has pretty good drainage. We get wet conditions where they don't allow carts on the fairways and the iron shots are pretty iffy. If you are playing at a distance that makes it no fun to play try going down to the next tee box. That could make the difference. When it gets pretty sloppy I go down one tee box and it makes the course close in distance to when we play in the summer. I only do this on the holes that in the summer are fairly long for me not the shorter ones. The wet doesn't bother me as much as 35-40* with 10+ mph wind weather. Yet if I don't play in those conditions I can't play very often. I just remember how it was when I lived in upstate New York and there was no way I could play in the winter months. So when the going gets tough just think of all those players who can't play at all.

I'm a freakin' mudder. I don't care... I like to play all winter. Yes, my drives plug. But it gives me a new perception of the course, different than August, when everything is artificially longer. The good of it is that errant shots don't roll off the fairway or into the bordering creek. And shots into the green stop immediately. I dress for it and adapt. And it's fast... very few others on the course. And there's always the hot toddy afterwards. Life is good. Go life go.

Every time I hear that word, "Anticipation" I think of the Ketchup commercial from a long time ago. Don't fret according to Accuweather we will have golfing weather near the end of the month

Having golfed for almost 9 years in the Northeast and now almost a year in TN, I find in both locations I mark the coming and going with the changing of the clocks. After the 2nd week in November, even if conditions are favorable, golf is limited by the amount of daylight hours, without even considering the number of warm daylight hours. To me golf starts next Sunday - going to play 9 or to the range after work will be possible. No longer trying to fit a round in between 11-4. I love daylight savings time.

You have if "swing methods" involves "how you get to impact." Specifically, the role of the arms in getting to impact. This forum proves how open-minded you are? This forum has shown that, when presented with actual facts, you deny them and carry on with your thoughts anyway. That's not being open minded. Given that you often "disagree" with facts then I don't know what says about what you do or don't understand.

I didn't provide many details, so you'd have no way of knowing… but no, it wasn't any of those things. It was a question related to his stuff, but then I just kinda kept going into unrelated things. Good information, and relevant… if you're talking about just swing theory and why people flip and synchronization and Key #2/#3 and so on… but yeah, I just kept going too far and rather than giving him a thimble of information, gave him a coffee cup. Yeah, pretty much. Except sometimes I just say "you know what, that's not really relevant right now, so let's focus on this." A lot of people are actually happy to not have to get the answer. Some need it, it gnaws at them, and I'll usually just tell them after the lesson.

It sounds to me like you did a pretty good job of salvaging it. Constantly repeating what you wanted him to focus on should end up being what sticks out in his head when he thinks back on the lesson.

That's not really the point here, or..it's exactly the point. Just because something doesn't make sense to you doesn't change the point at hand if it's backed by science. There are those who will argue what they understand or believe and disregard the facts as based on science. That is a no win argument as they are too stubborn to even realize the ridiculousness of their position. It's like playing chess with a pigeon; no matter how many great moves you make the pigeon just runs around shitting on the board acting like he's winning.

If I didn't play when it was muddy I'd only be able to play about 4 months a year. If I get used to the wet I can play 10-11 months a year. I am from Southern California originally so I was not a mudder to start. However after all these many years I have developed a game that can withstand the muddy conditions.

Got one taking off. This one definitely blew me back a bit more.

This is what we call tempting fate. I'm going to lose this streak this month, barring something really unusual. It's been a constant barrage of snowstorms since the first week of the month. There were a few days where I could have played had I not been working, but that's life. That said, I did find a really cool and reasonably priced simulator in town. Silver linings...

Playing during the winter months can be brutal. It often reminds me of when I had to go to work on bitter cold, windy days outside in the elements. We used to have a saying, "only the needy / greedy and crazy would show up" Golfing under these conditions I usually tell the guys my story and ask them which type are they. I always felt I was the latter, but usually make the most of the day enjoying good laughs and hitting an occasional good shot. It also gives me an opportunity to work on long irons and the short game as hitting GIR doesn't happen often. I also get to work on sand play often as many shots hang out to the right and find the greenside beaches. And typically winter conditions mean "Windy" conditions. Playing during wind gusts which reach 20 - 35 mph create havoc. It's really scary knowing if I flush this 5 iron from 140 out, adios amigo, been nice knowing you as I reach in the bag for the provisional. So as the census suggest as I grow older, "I'm still Crazy after all these years"

I can't claim to have played 45 months straight. I guess my claim to fame would be swinging a club (except for a few days here or there) every month for the past 6+ years. I was making little swings with a club days before my release from a hospital. This while the doctors (my wife included) were telling me not to expect to play golf ever again.

And the way to get the ball in the hole the fastest is though ballstriking. Putting is the least important part of the game (of the four categories: driving, approach shots, short game, putting). Uhm, no. That's not at all correct. Huh? You're not even making sense at this point. Nobody's said that "stats" are a "substitute for the game". I'm not even sure what that means. And…? Who are these people who "don't understand golf"? I'll tell you a true story. A few years ago Sean Foley asked Justin Rose what he wanted to work on in the off-season. Justin said "I want to work on my wedge game, from 120 yards and in." Sean said "okay" and "I'll see you in a week." A week goes by, and Sean does some research. He finds that Justin Rose is the best player on the PGA Tour from 120 yards and in. People don't always know what the stats show. That's why virtually every top player in the game is paying a statistician these days, and coaches who understand advanced statistics are making themselves more valuable. 🤦🏼‍♂️ Huh?

Dude, I cited "putts gained." This isn't a "number of putts" type of statistic. It's a pretty good measure of how good you are at putting. Your counter to "putts gained" is, what, your memory of how well you think Tiger Woods putted? Tiger and Jack won with their ballstriking. Their putting helped, but there were years Tiger Woods had enough strokes gained with his approach shots alone that he'd have been a top-5 player that year if he was average with the rest of his game. I'm not sure you understand what "strokes gained putting" measures. It's not a putt count. I'd pick myself, actually.

I doubt it. I would be curious if DJ even knows how long he spends practicing putting even when asked. Sounds about right. I tend to spend 10-15 minutes before a round practicing speed control. My putting mechanics are pretty good. I might spend 45-60 minutes once a month or every other month practicing putting. I will spend 5-6x that amount in a month on my long game.

I strongly disagree.

The putting, the short game, and the 300+ yard drives that the pros hit are impressive. But the ability to hit a green from 230 yards is, to me, the most impressive skill they have. I realize they don't show all the misses on TV, but those guys seem so good at hitting targets. It's very easy to forget this and to become fixated on why we can't do it every time.

? There was no baseball.