Snowman

I am 6'6" so when I started to play I did alot of searching to see what my options were. My first real set of clubs I bought directly from Callaway. I went to one of the local golf shops that were certified through Callaway to custom fit clubs. This is a good way to go, but you will also be paying top dollar for your set, which I have stopped doing. What I do now, is search Ebay for deals. You just have to know what clubs you want and keep a close eye on the listings. You can easily find a very good set of clubs within your price range. Just know that what you are purchasing from Ebay will typically be a standard size set of clubs. For instance, this past April I purchased a brand new set of Callaway X Forged irons off of Ebay for $400 under the suggested retail price. From this point I brought my clubs to a local golf shop, where I had the clubs bent 2 degrees upright, had them extended 1 and a half inches, and had the grips built up to fit my big hands. The work I had done, wound up to be $11 per club for a total of $88. So when it was all done and over with, I still had a complete savings of $312 compared to buying them through a major distributor. A few things to know if you choose to go this route. Being as tall as you are, there is a good chance that you will have to have the lie angle adjusted. Only certain kinds of club head materials can be adjusted beyond a certain point. On most forged irons this is not an issue, but it may be a consideration when it comes to casted irons. When you extend shafts, it effects the shafts stiffness. Adding to a clubs length will make it weaker, so in my case I choose to go with a stiffer flex shaft knowing when I added 1 and a half inches the stiff flex would weaken down to a strong regular flex which I prefer. So buy a stiffer flex shaft, kinowing it will weaken when you extend it. The hardest part is knowing which clubs you want to buy, because you will not be able to go out and demo all the clubs you want like the height challenged majority here. So do alot of research and try to find the right clubs for you, then just camp out on Ebay till that deal comes along, and do not worry, it always does.

It does not matter either way to me, I usually leave it up to my playing partner. But when I get in a rut of a few bad shots in a row, I like to slow things down by getting out of the cart and walking to my next few shots.

I can not believe I was the only one to suggest the Precept Laddie. For under $1 a ball, you can not get a better ball to learn with. I hope you like them.

This will be my last post, sorry for the derail. Again, IT IS A GIFT. I do not care who paid for it, if it was not the student athlete or his/her family, it is a gift. What is the difference between a university giving someone excessive equipment, or giving an athlete a brand new car to drive to practice? Nothing, they are both gifts. As you can tell by my post count, I do not post much, because when it comes to golf I have much to learn, and not so much to teach. But I do know about NCAA rules violations.

Wow, how times have changed. I played football, and in my time we got no extras. Granted it has been a while, graduated in 1993, but we couldn't even get our hands on an extra sweatshirt let alone equipment. From my understanding, the NCAA regulates the rules and not the schools. So anything above and beyond what is needed to play, would be considered a gift. So receiving 3 sets of irons is excessive and would fall into the gift category. Practices like that bring sanctions from the NCAA. But that is the way it was circa 1990. Sure, players get to try out different sets of equipment, but at the end of the trial period, that equipment needs to be returned if it is not going to be used. Those are the rules, and if that is not what is happening, like I previously said do your friend a favor and do not post the name of his school. I know of one school that was investigated because a NCAA official over heard a conversation of a players girlfriend in the restroom of an off campus restaurant.

As others have mentioned, it is important to practice with the same balls you will be playing with. Especially when practicing the short game, when touch becomes an integral part of the game. If you practice with Pro-V1's and learn to chip with such a soft feeling ball, your game will suffer when that same practice swing launches a harder ball to the other side green during a round. I am just returning from a 7 year leave of golf, and after my first few rounds I decided I need to find cheaper balls to golf with, considering I was throwing away $40 a round in lost balls. So here are my suggestions for the best bang for your buck in golf balls. Precept Laddie - Now being sold $20 for 2 dozen, great ball to learn with. Has a soft feel to it and it spins ok for a beginner. Top Flite D2 Feel - Typically $16 for a dozen, just played this ball for the first time this past weekend, again a nice soft feeling ball and the spin was better than the Laddie ball. Had issues getting the ball to stop on tight lie short chips. Titleist NXT Tour - Typically $25 a dozen, but I found a store that was selling the 2006 model for $18 dozen so I stocked up with 8 dozen. Very good all around ball, but it is a step below the tour quality balls. But as a beginner you would probably not notice the difference. Those are the 3 balls I have played since I have realised my swing did not need Pro-V1's when I started golfing again.

Having played a division 1 sport in college, I can tell you that getting free equipment like that is a major infraction of NCAA rules. So either your friend is pulling your leg or I would not name his university in any further posts to avoid any issues this sort of ongoings could cause to his school. As for the X-forged irons, you need to just go out and demo them. I just came back to golf after a 7 year break, and upgraded to the x-forged from the old 1996 Big Bertha irons. Although my handicap is extremely high, I have no issue hitting them flush and getting as much or even more distance out of them compared to my old super game improvement irons.

The funny thing is that I use a cart bag when I play. My shoulders are in bad shape from my football days, so I use a speed cart. But a few months back I bought a Sun Mountain MPB bag just to have the stand for when I go to the range. Now I am really enjoying the 14 divider system, compared my 6 way divided cart bag. After reading this thread and looking at everyone's suggestions, I just ordered the Sun Mountain C-130. I hope it is as good as everyone says.

I went the US Kids route, on my son's first birthday I bought him a set of the red series. Eventhough the clubs were extremely small, due to their weight, my son was not able to lift them to the top of his back swing until he turned 3. I wound up picking up a toy set from Toys R Us. I believe the brand was Fisher Price and I was pleased with them. It came with a wheeled cart, 3 clubs and balls. The clubs were hollowed out plastic, so he had no issue swinging them. The clubs that were included each had their own characteristics resembling a driver, an iron and a putter. At 2 years old, my son would challenge me to chipping balls over the row of bushes in our yard. For the $20 some odd dollars that I had spent on them, they were a great introduction to golf for a child so young. This year, my son has just turned 7, and for his birthday I got him the Callaway XJ set. The clubs are still a tad bit long for him, but he has gotten a huge jump in distance over the last 3 US Kids sets he has had. I figure that he will grow into them by the beginning of next season. My son is extremely tall for his age (I am 6'6" and my wife is 6'4") so this may not be an option for your daughter until she is 8 or 9. Both the Callaway set the previous mentioned Ping Moxie set are extremely well built, but I would have your daughter measured and compare to the clubs length, being most of the time these junior clubs are available for testing before purchase.

This question came to me after reading another post where alot of our members said that they did not like playing high handicapped players, because basically the sight of their game distracts them. I am now halfway through my first season back after an 8 year leave of golf. I have been putting in plenty of time practicing, but I still struggle to break the 100 mark with my scores, my average score over the the past 4 months is an ugly 102. But all my scores are true, I call all penalties on myself and never take any mulligans. On average I take about 9 penalty strokes a round, mostly from balls being lost after rolling into the rough. On the other hand, I play with a friend who swears that he shoots in the low 80's. Granted he is a better ball striker than I am, but he never counts penalties. Just this past weekend, he drove his ball in the right hand rough, and after 2 minutes his ball suddenly appeared in the open. But just after hitting his second shot, another playing partner found his actual ball 50 yards short of where he played from, with no clear shot to the green or fairway. His reply was to just play it off as if it was not his, although the ball had his markings on it. Then a few holes later, his approach came up short and landed in waste deep weeds. After taking 7 swings to finally get out, he wound up carding a 5 for the hole. What my friend does, has no bearing on me, because we never play for money. I feel the only one he is cheating is himself, considering that golf is just you versus the course. So with the little background of 2 different type of players that I have given, who is worse to play with? The cheater or the high handicapper?

Well I am in the exact same boat as you. I am extremely socially challenged, always been and always will be, just my nature. I am just getting back in the game after a 7 year break, took time off when my wife and I started to expand the family. My brother-inlaw has been my only constant playing partner, but he lives 6 hours away, so I do get to play with him about 5 times year. When I was younger, the circle of friends that I had after college played all the time. But eventually one by one they stopped playing, soon after they were married. I absolutely hate walking on as a single, it seems ever group I join tells me how I should be crushing the ball due to my size. Sure I can hit my drive 320+ yards, but it is hard to have an open shot to the green from 2 fairways over to the right. My distances are typically 2 whole clubs shorter than average. On a par 3, when the rest of my foursome have a pitching wedge in their hands, I will go with an 8. I just moved into Virginia a couple of years ago, so my friends list is pretty empty at this point. Plenty of aquantances that always say we need to get out and golf, but it never pans out. Now that I am 37, I am starting to feel that time is running out to improve my game to a respectable level, soon enough the advancement of age will catch up to me, so I am concentrating on becoming a better ball striker to lower my scores. If you are anywhere close to Fredericksburg and want to meet up for a round, just let me know. I am always trying to find someone to golf with.

QQQ - I moved down to Fredericksburg from Upper Montgomery Co MD about 2 years ago. So I have not yet had the chance to explore the entire area, but will start looking north of here. The exec course that I am taking my son to is in Alexandria, so I do not have issues with driving a while to get to a course. I guess my limit would be in the 90 minute range. Thanks for the info and I will definitely look up the courses you mentioned. Fourputt - Congrats on your weight loss, that is an impressive amount for just over 4 months. I have been on and off diets for the past 4 years, while seeing great progress something would always come up and I would wind up off my diet. For the past 2 years, I have been finishing the 1500 square foot basement in our house, and my body took a beating so I use comfort foods to ease my aching body. Hanging the sheetrock on the ceiling by myself, really killed my shoulders. But the carpeting gets installed tomorrow, and that will complete that project. I started back on my diet May 1st, hoping to drop significant amounts of weight so I look presentable on the course. So what diet regimen are you doing that has allowed you to drop your weight? Norm - I definitely play alot better when walking also. I just feel rushed when I hit the shot, jump in a cart, zoom down the fairway to my ball, just to hit it again. Walking allows me to take the time to survey the hole, think about course management, read the green after my approach shot. Its also gives me time to collect myself after a bad shot. You will definitely see a big improvement as you lose some weight. Your swing will smooth out nicely as you have less and less weight to transfer during your swing. Yet you will be use to have the extra weight on you, so the transferring of your weight will naturally speed up, being your body has less mass to move. LOL there has to be more than 4 of us "big guys" on this forum, I see plenty of us on the course. Maybe we should start a monthly "Big Man Golf" thread for a place for us to offer support each other.

Right there with ya. I am 6'6" and weigh about 340. I use to be on the thinner side, but bulked up when playing division 1 football as a lineman, and never lost the weight. My current goal is to get down to about 275, where I will still be large but will not have a gut hanging over my belt. As far as golfing goes, I have never really been all that good. I started right out of college and my game suffered from playing clubs right off the shelves. After 3 years of topping the ball, I got a set that were extended and I saw improvements. I was great off the tee and horrible with the irons, so I would live at the range hitting irons shots all day long. Eventually my iron play became really solid but my tee shots were spraying all over. Eventually life caught up to me, and marriage along with 3 kids, put my game on hold. Now my oldest is turning 7 next week, and he just loves golf. For the past 9 months we have been to the range at least once a week. We will becgoing out and playing at the local exec course for the first time this weekend. With my sons interest in golf, I see it as an opportunity to finally rededicate myself to get my handicap in a respectable level. My swing is pretty solid, I usually throw strokes away around the green and typically am hitting 3 from the tees cause my first drive is in the woods. Consistency is really what my game lacks. So that is my goal this year. I can shoot either a 85 or a 115, just depends how the driver is working. As far as walking goes, I prefer to walk. I even went out and bought a push cart so I can walk more, I have a hard time carrying a bag 18 holes. Shoulders are in just bad shape from playing football for 17 years. I just find it hard these days to find a walker friendly course in my area, most enforce cart use, as if it speeds up play when it is cart path only LOL.

Does anyone know if any companies out there makes a ball specifically for junior golfers? If not, does anyone know of any balls that are really low compression? My son will be turning 7 in a couple of weeks, and I will be taking him out to play his first round. He has a nice smooth swing, but I am looking for something that will help him enjoy it more, than the rocks at the local range. If there are any parents of young golfers out there, please let me know what you have tried and what has worked for you. Thanks in advance Snowman

Oh I do plan on reintroducing the long irons into my bag, but probably not until next season. It has just been so long of a break from golf for me, I need to just get out there and practice, to try to find my old swing. Back before I was married, I had a friend who played hogan blades. When we would go to the range together, I would hit his clubs just for giggles. Back then, I was able to easily hit his low irons, but never got a set myself. Guess I was too young and stupid, allowing myself to be scared off from all the "You have to be scratch to play blades" hype. What it comes down to, is that I want a set of clubs I can grow into, instead of growing out of them.

I am in the process of doing exactly what you have done. For the past 10 years, my playing and practice time has really suffered, the typical marriage and kids conflicts. But with the passing of my birthday just last week, I have rededicated myself to playing golf. I am pretty happy with whats in my bag mostly, knowing that practice will take 10 strokes off my handicap very fast. It is just my irons that just have an issue with. My current set are the old 1995 Big Bertha irons. They are so clunky looking that it is hard to not think that the next shot will be hit fat, when I am setting up to the ball. I really like the feel on my forged wedges, so I wanted to go with forged irons. My brother inlaw, the one person I play with when I do get to play, rants up and down that I do not have the game to use forged clubs. Well just to prove him wrong, I went ahead and ordered the X Forged irons, will be here tomorrow. Not too concerned with hitting the long irons, I carry 3 hybrids, so the longest iron in my bag will be a 6. Going to the range on Saturday, and plan on playing the nine hole course there, will let you know how it turns out.

For me, it would have to be chipping. I have read a ton of short game books, and know the mechanics of the proper chipping stroke. Before each chip, I will have 3 perfect practice swings, but when I go to hit the ball, I seem to forget everything and my smooth swing turns into an ugly jab at the ball. Skulling my shot to the other side of the green on 60% of my shots. I know it is all mental, I start to think too much. Being that close to the hole, my body tenses up.

West Islip High School - West Islip NY - Class of 88

In my mind, the answer is quite easy. It's the one who holds the records at this time. Sure, one day Tiger may break Jacks records, but on this day, Jack is still the greatest.