iacas

This thread typically gets started one way or another, so I may as well start it here. When you play a round of golf, pop open this thread and add a comment. Tell us your score, tell us how you played, and so on. I'll kick it off... Today I shot what would have been about a 78 or a 79 at my home course. Tough to say since I didn't putt (I gave myself two putts on all but three holes where I'd stuffed it within 5 feet - any missed I'd have made there I figure would have been balanced out by the five putts I had from 5-10 feet). Temporary greens, you see. A week ago we had a foot or two of snow. Today it was 40-45 degrees and the ground was soggy, but very little snow existed. I was one of about ten golfers out there. The lack of much wind was nice - 45 degree weather plays about a club shorter. I'll write more later. Gonna post a picture or two from my camera phone. Note: this thread should contain only posts about your score. No replies, please!

Welcome to the "5 Minutes Daily" Practice Challenge for 2018! Please read as the rules have changed! Yes, for all of 2018! I'm changing it up. Rather than do this monthly, we're going to have an ongoing challenge. Here is how you can earn the coveted award you see to the left. Make a detailed post describing your practice every day during the month. "Going to the range later" doesn't cut it, nor does "worked on my chipping today." Describe what you did for at least five minutes of practice (indoors or out, with or without golf balls, etc.). No back-dating or pre-dating posts or practice sessions. When you've gone four weeks (28 calendar days) in a row, missing at most two days, make your post in bold, red text to let everyone know that you're on a streak. Every day after that, so long as you're still 26 of 28 or better, post in bold, red text. If you had a streak, but lose it, post again in regular old black, non-bold text. Be honest; this is golf we're talking about. I'll periodically check those of you with the award and will remove the coveted award/badge from your profile when you've fallen off your streak. Other members are encouraged to point out when someone else has fallen off as well, because I want the badge to belong only to the truly dedicated! What's different about this? Your "month" basically can begin any time. If you're stopping in and it's the 17th, you can start your streak right now, and a month later, have the award. Before, you had to wait for the month to change on the calendar. Enjoy and practice hard!

If the ad (not "add") didn't have the golf tie-ins, you'd have a point. But it did, so you don't. Horrible point: college scholarships are specifically allowed in the rules for amateur status.

Over the next few weeks, @mvmac , @david_wedzik , and myself will be playing with and investigating the value of the GAME Golf digital tracking system. In a sentence, GG clips to your belt and, when you touch a club to it before hitting a shot, tracks your shots for automatic and easy compilation of statistics showing you where you hit your ball and how far with various clubs, and other assorted stats. I've charged two of the systems already, and a third will be charged later, so we'll all get our first rounds in with them tomorrow. Much more to come. P.S. The packaging is great. I really appreciate solid, well designed packaging. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask them here.

Though you can expect a full review to follow in a few weeks, I wanted to share some of my photos of the first major new release from TRUE Linkswear in 2019 - the Major - and to share what I learned about TRUE's plans for 2019. As many of you know, TRUE burst onto the scene in 2010 with the TRUE Tour. The Tour was a "minimalist" golf shoe - wide toe box, no heel drop, flexible and lightweight, very little "structure" or "support" - that provided a breath of fresh air in golf. They followed up the Tour with some other shoes, and then followed those up with some other shoes that weren't really all that good, chasing the retail game instead of sticking to their well received niche - comfortable, stylish golf shoes that have a minimalist angle to them, sold mostly direct-to-consumer and with great customer service and support. Before I get to my first impressions, here are some notes about where TRUE is headed in the first half of 2019… TRUE Knits TRUE Men's Knit | TRUE linkswear The most comfortable golf shoe on the market. The TRUE Knit is lightweight, breathable, and water repellent. The TRUE Knits are doing really well for TRUE and is one of the most popular models they've ever introduced. I'm wearing a pair (navy blue) right now and they're a fantastic "everyday" shoe. In early 2019, the LinkSoul partnership that has already brought us the Limited Edition LinkSoul shoe will introduce another LinkSoul/TRUE co-branded shoe in a color that completes the sentence "His approach shot found the putting ________." And no, it's not going to be a "surface" colored shoe, whatever that would be. 🙂 There's also going to be a Jet Black Knit with a gum colored outsole that I expect will be bangin', as well as a third new Knit colorway that I'm really looking forward to. TRUE partnered with their local MS foundation to create the MS Knit, the purchases of which will send $30 back to the MS foundation. This Knit, coming by about the time the Masters champion is crowned, is a charcoal shoe with orange accents, including an orange ribbon embroidered on the heel and a bright orange insert. TRUE TL-01 I dug this photo up from the sneak peek the company offered at the PGA Merchandise Show last month. From what I can gather… The TL-01 is: Extremely light weight. Full grain Napa Leather Sneaker style, kinda like some of of those old casual canvas shoes Low profile with a sock-fit liner Features a different tread than on the Knits Utilize a different outsole material with a lightweight exterior Will be "water resistant" (the sign above is from an older variant/model). Will make a great casual, everyday shoe that you can wear to practice or play golf, too The colors, you can see flipping through the Instagram post above: white, grey, black. TRUE Major TRUE Major | TRUE linkswear The TRUE Major brings performance and comfort to an entirely new level. Worn by TOUR Pro Ryan Moore, the Major is the highest performing spikeless golf shoe on the market. The Major you can read a lot about on the link above. In bullet points: Replacing the Outsider - if you're an Outsider fan, get them while they last! Moderate heel drop: 4-6mm Moderate toe box: not as wide as the Tour, not as narrow as the Elements. Fully waterproof with a two-year guarantee. They've done this via a fully breathable waterproof liner that wraps around the inside of the shoe, like a booty. It's breathable and yet waterproof at the same time. Awesome paracord lacing and a system that tightens the whole track of laces, not just at the top. Reflective elements in the lacing, on the "TRUE" logo, in the heel loop, and elsewhere on the shoe, for nighttime safety… and because it looks cool. 🙂 A toe flex zone for out-of-the-box, instant comfort. Most leather shoes in particular require a break-in period, or will wear out where the toe flexes quite a bit. The Major looks to avoid this with the Toe Flex zone. Instead of coming in a box that, while it may look cool you'll throw away, comes in a high-quality shag bag that I think we might see being sold separately soon. Really, this is awesome, and if you're not the type to use a bag for your shoes, you can store your wallet, keys, 50 shag golf balls, whatever you want in this cool bag. Player Advisory Board In 2019, Ryan Moore is obviously not only a part owner, but is the first member of the Player Advisory Board. TRUE Linkswear is looking to work with anywhere from two to four or five additional PGA/Web.com/European Tour golfers to start. These players will, like Ryan is, be involved with the testing, feedback, design, and utility of current and future shoes. My photos (Majors and the shag bags they come in) will be in the next post.

Kinda. But these are 4-6mm drop (depending on shoe size). But otherwise, yes, fairly "minimalist."

Three quick notes: Caddie view is the same as face on. Down the line views are just that… down the line. Your down the line videos are well off: https://thesandtrap.com/b/playing_tips/filming_your_swing Your weight stays back. See Key #2 videos and information here on the site:

He was paired with Adam Scott:

http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization.html http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization/text/an-overview-of-the-rules-modernization-initiative.html Now that the finalized 2019 rules are out, we'll use this topic to take over for the previous one, which was here: Here are the major changes: Ball at Rest Ball in Motion Taking Relief Areas of the Course Equipment Playing a Ball When to Play During a Round Player Behavior

I think it's more likely that people will actually screw that up and play from a wrong place, not that they can "game" the system. If they mark with a tee and drop really near the tee… IMO they're just as likely to need to place anyway. Especially given the added precision from dropping from only knee height. No. But you don't have to in 2019, either.

Pretty flat shoulder turn… Can you see the ball from here? Are you left eye dominant?

What do you mean exactly? Game the drop "how"?

Oh my.

A few quick thoughts: Mind your camera angles. Though the club looks like it's coming from slightly inside on several, it's likely a little bit "out" because the camera is too far "out" too. Toe line. https://thesandtrap.com/b/playing_tips/filming_your_swing Your "flip" is more because your hands slow down. Keep your hands going faster, keep your pivot speed up. If your right hand "throws" the clubhead at the ball, that'll slow down your hands, too. You're still on track with things. Make shorter swings where the ball pushes or draws, and work your way up to longer swings. Going at full speed just "trying" to do things isn't a great way to practice. Work at the edge of your ability.

The official fast food French fry power rankings One man's opinion on the best (and worst) fast food French fries. Spoiler: Looks about right to me.

Day 379 - February 17, 2019 - 20 minutes of good full swing work with the Behrend kids after our Rules meeting.

No topic for this yet? Well, here's one.

I've been working off a theory for awhile now, and I've talked with a lot of people about it. I've charted how much time the average PGA Tour player spends doing things, I've talked with coaches and instructors at all levels. I've talked with good and in some cases great players. Nothing yet has dissuaded me from thinking what I'm about to tell you. If anything, it's firmed up my belief. I'm still leaving the door open to the possibility that what I'm about to say still needs to be tweaked, but I think at worst it's pretty close. What am I talking about? Try this on for size: Unless you have a glaring weakness or a facet of your game which far outshines the others, you should spend 65% of your time practicing the full swing, 20% of your time practicing the short game, and 15% of your time practicing putting. By "full swing" I mean every shot that uses full swing mechanics. This includes all shots over about 100 yards as well as some of the 1/2 and 3/4 that employ full-swing mechanics. By "short game" I mean everything else inside of about 100 yards that isn't putting. And by putting I mean putting. Duh. Now, people who have argued against me on this will talk about how "60% of your shots are from within 100 yards of the green." That's great and all, but if you remove short putts from the equation the number drops significantly. Still, the number is around 40% for "short game + putting" and 40% for the full swing, so why have I said 65/20/15? Because working back from the putting green to the tee, putting is simple. It's a relatively easy motion that does not take a lot of time to master. The mechanics are simpler, the requirements simpler, and the ceiling is more severe. If you're making half of your six footers (on bumpier, slower greens than those seen on the PGA Tour), that's all you need to play golf on the PGA Tour, so time spent practicing 20 footers ( which are made about 14% on the PGA Tour , so you should expect to make about one in ten) is time better spent doing something else. Moving back farther from the green, a good bit more time can be spent trying not to leave yourself a 20-footer for par , and working on the short game. I say you should practice your short game 2.5 times as much as your putting. Learn a few basic shots - a pitch, a chip, a bunker shot (which is just a variation of the pitch for many), and maybe a specialty shot or three (a bladed wedge from the fringe, a high flop, and a low checking shot). Variations of those will cover virtually every other shot you can imagine, and if you practice a few shots here and there from some odd lies, you'll do just fine. Of course, you'll do even better if you're not having to use your short game for very much - better still to hit the green in regulation. There's a reason they say "two things don't last very long: dogs who chase cars and golfers who putt for pars." That takes us out to full swing range, and statistics show that the long game - driving the ball in play and hitting greens (particularly from longer distances) is absolutely crucial to playing good golf. There's a reason there's a formula out there that approximates your score by taking 95 - (2 x GIR). Hitting greens is the single biggest correlation to scoring well, and the only way to hit greens is to have a full swing that works - twice on average. The full swing is also orders of magnitude more complex and difficult to master than a putting stroke or a pitching motion. Now, before everyone gets bent out of shape, note that I'm talking about time spent practicing each of these things, so the numbers aren't quite as slanted as you might think just by looking at "65/20/15." For example, because putting is so simple and because the balls are typically within 20 feet of you, you can hit perhaps four putts per minute. On the short game, because you have to round up some golf balls from farther distances, and take a few more practice strokes to feel the ground, you have to clean your club, etc. you can hit perhaps two balls per minute. On the driving range, I'll often hit balls as slowly as one every four to five minutes, but let's say you're not quite as deliberate or don't use quite as many practice motions as I do, and call it 0.75 balls per minute. Multiplying the balls per minute by the time spent, we get numbers that look like this: Putting: 15 minutes * 3 balls/minute = 45 balls Short Game: 20 minutes * 2 balls/minute = 40 balls Full Swing: 65 minutes * 0.75 balls/minute = 48.75 balls So really, this works out to spending almost an equal amount of time on each of the three sections of the game, with slightly less spent on putting (and, really, this still makes sense because the putting stroke is relatively simple ). Note, too, that I'm talking about good practice. I'm not talking about whacking some balls on the green towards some holes and calling it "practice." I'm talking about working on the skills of putting (starting the ball on-line, controlling the distance the ball rolls, and reading greens properly). I'm talking about working on the skills of a good short game with drills - landing balls on targets, taking the same club and varying the height of some shots, one-handed pitching drills, etc. I'm talking about working on drills with the full swing, deliberate, good practice, and not just stepping up and smacking ball after ball during the full swing 65% of your practice time. Now, when I talk about this someone will invariably say something like "I practice my short game religiously and my full swing stinks and I still shoot 82 most days!" They'll remember the one round they made everything or chipped close or in a few times and how it "saved" a bad round. To the first guy, consider how good he'd be if he could marry that short game with a long game that didn't lean on it so much. To the second guy, you remember that round because it's an anomaly, and because you hit the ball badly enough that you needed miracle short game shots just to shoot around your typical score! The stats and studies don't lie. I get that a six-foot putt that you miss counts the same as a drive you put into the right rough. But the odds state very plainly that a six-foot putt is not nearly as damaging to your score as a miss green, and a missed green is not nearly as damaging to your score as a missed tee shot. Them's the facts. I haven't shared them with you here, but they're out there, and I encourage you to look them up. Boiled down, they back my theory of the best way to divvy up your practice time: Spend 15% of your practice time working on putting skills. Spend 20% of your practice time working on short game skills. Spend 65% of your practice time working on the full swing skills. What's nifty is that you can do a surprising amount of all of this work at home, in your back yard, on your living room carpet, or with a mirror or wiffle balls. And when you practice, make it dedicated, good practice . Don't just aimlessly whack balls, whether you're on the putting green, the short game area, or on the practice range with a driver in your hands. 2014-04-08: Renamed 65/20/15 (it was 65/25/10). Changes outlined in post #471 .

I voted for Sergio, if only for being deserving more.

They're not re-pairing. They're just turning around and starting the final round. Not that Tiger is going to win, but he could finish hours before the leaders and will have played the 18th hole hours before the leaders even get to the back nine. Tiger is currently T7.

Legally, when you visit a restaurant, you're only obligated to pay the bill, not a tip. Kuchar was only legally obligated to pay $4k. But that still doesn't mean he wasn't a douche to pay $5k.

This business has a ton of signs that are sexually suggestive. But it's just hot dogs.

It is simple and clear. She breached it, and somehow got off with only a "warning." No, because he's not famous or known for being a golfer. Not sure oof your point here - nothing would stop her from playing professionally. It's remaining an amateur that's at question. They have ads with amateurs in them all the time. But those amateurs are being paid as actors, not because of their reputation and skill as golfers. It's not about being "put out." It's about the very definition of the word. If they got $5k instead of the clubs, they're obviously no longer an amateur - they're accepting remuneration for their play/skill at golf. Ditto if they get clubs (valued at > $750).

Knowing the course well enough to help a few bums on vacation and knowing the course well enough to help a PGA Tour player are two very different things. For example (and it's just one example of many I could share), I had a really good caddie (by reputation) at Kiawah Island… and he couldn't help Dave and I, let alone a PGA Tour player. His advice actually hurt our game(s) until we started ignoring him.

So people actually misread that one as racist.