The Golfing Polack

Just got my iPhone yesterday and I'm looking for opinions on what the best golf apps are. Possible rangefinders but probably more interested in scoring/handicap programs right now. I don't want to plunk down a lot of dough on something that won't suit me. Thanks

I just got my Ogio Mammoth last week. My trip isn't until next week but right now I'm very impressed with the quality. As with all Ogio products it has cool features that really set it apart. This sight has the best price I've seen so far for it. http://www.discountgolfworld.com/pro...ravel-bag.html It's not a hard case but the padding around the club heads is very good.

Driver: $299 3 Wood: $75 Hybrid: $150 Irons: $700 Wedges: $200 Putter: $100 Total: $1524

I'll be down between the 18th and 24th. I'll check that place out.

I'll be in the Orlando area to catch some of the Braves Spring Training games. Any good recommendations for nice affordable golf ($60-75) in the area? Thanks

+1 for what RC said. Musicians friend has a good selection of uke strings. They're not hard to change on your own but they will have a significant stretch period before they'll hold their tune. I like to pull on mine before tuning to help quicken the stretching process. Good luck and have fun. Youtube has a ton of uke lessons that should get you on your way pretty quickly.

If your lofts are consistently gapped (I'd have them checked) your distance issues are most likely resulting from inconsistent contact. Depending on the clubs your playing hitting on the heel or toe might still give you straight ball flight but knock off considerable yardage. If you're playing SGI irons they tend to straighten these shots out but lose yardage. If you were playing blades heel and toe shots result in nasty hooks and slices (even more so on the toe). Spend some time with impact tape and see what's up.

Cutting the shaft will decrease head speed which will reduce distance, but not drastically. It will however alter the swing weight of the club. Try choking down on your club for a while and see what works best before you cut anything or swap out shafts.

If you're a Stephen King fan try the Dark Tower Series. That should keep you busy for a couple of months. I think it's his best work.

If you don't like the club you got a great shaft for a decent price.

Forgiveness and workability don't generally go hand in hand. If you want a median of the two you'll need something in the sem-game improvement area, like TM r7s or the Non-forged mizunos. Like the previous poster said, consistent distance control isn't really attibuted to clubs, as their specs stay the same. Distance can be affected by where you catch the ball on the face, and a more forgiving iron will help with that. When it comes to deciding between steel and graphite I can only say "Get Fit" and figure it out that way. For your handicap (if you really do shoot in the 100+ range, then you might be more satisfied with a SGI iron like the Calloway fusion line or something similar. That being said, you won't know which ones are right for your game until you hit a bunch of them and see what fits you swing and eye the best. Good luck.

Another vote for Tiger Woods 09. It's already in the low 30s at night here. My teacher wants to play a round before the end of the season, but that's not looking great right now. Most of the courses close when it gets too cold because they don't want people tearing up stuff.

My Ogio (See sig) works great on a cart, and I actually carried it for the first time Sunday. It's a bit heavier than others I've had, but everything is easy to get to, even while walking. Kept my powerade cold for 12 holes too! Plus the Wood-e top can't be beat.

I wouldn't worry about the lob wedge right away. You should be able to get 2 very nice used wedges (cleveland for example) for $100. A gap wedge (51-54*) with a low bounce and a SW (56-58*) with a higher bounce should cover it. I don't play a lob wedge and haven't missed it. I can open up my 56* to play flop shots. Look for gently used quality wedges with lots of bite left in the grooves and practice with them until they need to be replaced. The Taylor made RAC TP wedges are very nice. I like the finish and the amount of spin I get with them.

I'm a big digger and I have a high ball flight. I even take divots with my long irons and sometimes my hybrid and 3 wood.

I think that I'm getting a very good deal. The guys charges $40 for a 45 min lesson plus the cost of range balls ($4/bucket). Our lesson ended up lasting 1 1/2 hours and he still only charged me the $40 plus my 2 buckets. I'm going to wait a couple of weeks and do some range work and then take another.

I had my first lesson ever on Monday. First off he said that for never taking lessons that I have a very good golf swing and he thinks I should be able to get down to a 6-8 handicap. That being said he had me change 2 things: first off my takeaway was too vertical and now I'm dragging the club head straight back from the ball to start my backswing. This had immediate improvements with my over-the-top move and straightened out my long irons almost immediately. Secondly he had me narrow my stance and point my toes inward and push me knees out to try and lock out my lower body. Turns out that I'm not using my core muscles much at all (all leg action generating power) which is why it's so hard to get a consistent swing. My core is killing me after going through 2 large buckets and 18 holes me my new swing, but things are improving. At first the swing seemed cramped and unnatural, but I got used to the feeling and started to hit more solid shots that were all landing within 5 yards of each other. Not bad for an hour of work. After my lesson I hit the course for 18 and was so frustrated after the first 9 (52) that I almost stopped playing. The back didn't start out much better but I parred 4 of the last five and finished with a 94. I'm excited to work some more and hopefully get a good groove going before winter hits. He did say that the shafts in my 57s might not be fit right, but didn't recommend changing anything until I have my swing down straight. Overall a very good $50 spent on my game.

Size/strength+technique=more torque=longer drives and longer arms can increase club speed.

I just sat and read through the entire post. I agree mostly with everything said so far. I'm a big guy (6' 275) and I can get it out there 275-290 on average, and if I catch a good bounce or have tail wind I'll hit maybe 1 300+ a round if I really go for it. Obviously saying I am a 300+ hitter would be an exageration, but if someone asks me my average I say 275-280. As for the baseball mph throwing at carnivals, this is not an accurate judging because there's no way to loosen up. Give me 20 warm up throws and I'll gain probably 15 mph than I'd have throwing cold, not to mention not destroying my arm in the process. Face it, men (usually not women) are egotistical and have to out-do everyone. Very few of us can say we don't exagerate some of our accomplishments. We all do it on resumes.

I got my 57s with the DGs because they were $250 off and he didn't have the rifles on sale. I was speaking about stiff shafts in general. I should probably be playing X-stiff shafts, and when I start my lessons next week I'll probably end up reshafting. But if I had the option of getting them with any shaft I wanted I would err toward stiffer.

A weaker flex shaft will give you more distance with less consistency and accuracy. With a too-stiff shaft you will lose some distance but keep a better accuracy. it's up to you to decide which way you'd like to lean. if it was my money and game I would get the stiff to start out with.

I would go with the project 6.0. That should give you enough stiffness once you come into your full swing. What's your driver swing speed?

WD40 should prevent most of the rust from coming back. I get a little bit on the face of my 57s where the chrome has worn through a little bit and sandy range balls have made little cuts. Keep them cleen and dry, and don't use headcovers and you should be ok.

WD40 and a good scrubbing with a plastic bristle brush should do it.

I have a gently used Tiffany for sale. PM me if you're interested.