SAGolfLuvr

Dear ScottCarmich, to clarify the intent of my post based on RayG's response, I wanted to show that EVEN THE PROS aren't perfect at all phases of the game, but I knew I had to show the true numbers currently on tour to make that point. I TRULY BELIEVE that golf is a game of misses. http://www.sunriver.com/golf-tips-a-game-of-accurate-misses/ Good Luck

Let's see......... 1. Hit the fairway every time? Tour Avg 60.69% [60% of 14 fairways = approx 8 fairways per round] 2. Hit the green in regulation every time? Tour Avg 65.14% [65% of 18 greens = approx 11 greens per round] 3. Make par every time scrambling? (don't beat me up TST, only working with 3 of the most basic ones here). Tour Avg 58.54% [58% of 7 greens {I am trying to be cute because stat #2 only leaves 7 holes to get up on down on } = 4 pars scrambling per round] Having the skill set to achieve any of the aforementioned stats - priceless. SO If the pro's can't do all 3 all the time, how can the rest of us who earn an income doing something else do it? RayG and Jeremy Boop are both correct. Practice course strategy and don't get emotional about not hitting perfect shots. Be creative, practice a lot, play often, and think your way into a par, or saving par. Case in point. I am sick of getting my butt kick by seniors who can't hit passed 230yards on their drives and make 12 pars per round and score in the 70's 90% of the time. Watch them, get your butt kicked, and learn. They hardly ever play with the $300 plus flashy driver. They play with clubs that won't give them penalty strokes for being 300 yards deep in the crap. BTW Tour Avg drive-287 yds. Driver is used 14 times per round (potentially). Putter is used 36 times per round (potentially). Get fitted for a putter and gain strokes. How many penalties has your putter cost you for lost balls? AGAIN Seniors use a driver that keeps them in the fairway. Just sayin......

Phil Mickelson secrets of the short game instruction. 50 yard shot. The principles are the same for a 100 yard GAP wedge shot. If you hit it too long, then choke down and dial it in. Good Luck

Fellow golf fanatics, 1 month ago, I had a spill on my mountain bike that almost dislocated my left shoulder and gave me a sizeable scrape on my left forearm. Since then, I can't swing a golf club without pain (I have a bad right shoulder too). When I look at my swing now, I realize that it looks like people trying their best but not being able to get to the positions they want because their body is denying them. As I slowly heal, sometimes I feel like a disabled person when I try to get to the full backswing and full extension (very painful) and sometimes I feel like a senior (limited turn to reduce the pain). I thought I had a respect for both disabled folks and seniors (who regularly kick my butt with no penalties and an excellent short game) but now I have a much healthier respect by experiencing a little of what it can be like for both. I am in my 40s and I know how blessed I am that this is temporary compared to everyday life for them and now I look at life much differently.

I've played and reviewed the Wilson Duo and the Bridgestone e7 on TST. As Savvy has stated, the Srixon in the same price range is also a good choice. Your handicap is better than mine so all I will say is that I hit a high trajectory shot into greens for chips, pitches, and approaches. The Wilson Duo has much less roll out on firm greens than the Bridgestone e7. My swing speed is 112-114 and I am happy with the 270ish yards I get with the Wilson Duo and sometimes much more than that. The duo holds the greens better than the e7 on approaches

Playing in hardpan Texas had me spoiled until I played on the east coast. I quickly learned to be more of a picker because of the plush fairways and much taller trees on the east coast.

Yes I am in the 2 club crowd. 56 degree and 8 iron for putt chipping. Interesting poll.

On my push cart using GolfLogix. I use a bicycle mount phone carrier on my push cart. In rainy conditions it is in my pocket in my golf rain gear using GolfLogix.

JP I am happy to add my opinion at this stage of the thread. So far, ALL of the replies you have received have worked for me. BTW when MVMAC speaks, you should listen. Combine MVMACs technique with the Phil Mickelson "secrets of the short game" videos (he is a Pelz student) and you are well on your way. Don't forget to choke up when in between clubs or distances as suggested previously by TEFUNK. I have been using all of these methods to keep me in the single digit handicap. The only tip I will add is from Rory McIllroy. He uses his body turn to keep from hitting his sand wedge between 90-130 yards (unpredictable yardages) . Rory has a consistent body turn speed combined with a consistent width (let's say a 3/4 swing) and now he knows within 5 yards what his sand wedge yardage is. Again, ALL of the tips in this thread before my response has helped me to dial in my short game and approach yardages and improve to a single digit handicap. Good Luck.

Take the clubs you have and get lessons. Let the pro (who's years of experience will help you improve much faster than teaching yourself) help you decide on whether you need a different set of clubs now or later when your swing improves. No need to spend high dollar on new clubs because you get next to nothing in trade in value and the used clubs hit "farther, straighter, and longer". If you don't believe me, then look at the advertisements on the golf clubs that were sold 5 years ago compared to today and then look at the golf club tests from 5 years ago compared to today. Good Luck.

I agree with FourPutt that the whining will reach new levels if Donald Trump (the only guy who can afford to build an artificial turf golf course) actually built one. With the exception of periodic cleaning, the water use will obviously be drastically reduced. Now we won't have to deal with the humidity from watering and from nature as the sun comes up, or will we? I think the heat return from the sun in some locations will make the faint of heart pass out. Let's hope they figure out the drainage and eliminate standing water. Obviously maintenance costs will THEORETICALLY go down after the initial install but replacing entire sections of artificial turf isn't cheap either. I've seen the way people drive golf carts and predict a big issue at the seams and where the turf butts against the cart path. Keep in mind that these are the same people who don't repair divots, pitch marks, or rake the sand, and hang around the green counting scores instead of moving on to the next tee. There would be some expensive growing pains. I've seen many run-down "Putt-Putt" courses. Can you imagine an entire course like that?

Best of luck to you TGB. Maybe you will get that scholarship and eventually turn pro. As for me, I started when I was 34 years old because of an office rivalry. After being spanked, I vowed that I would beat him in a year. He laughed at me. Sure enough, I whooped him 1 year later but "the bug" had bitten me. I play once every weekend as a hobby when the weather permits. I would love to be a tour pro but my golf instructors and the " The Dan Plan - 10,000 Hours to Become a Pro Golfer (Dan McLaughlin) thread right here on this blog site shows me how the odds are stacked WAY WAY WAY against me. Keep in mind, there is a reason why my golf instructors are not tour pros. Hopefully a pro golf instructor will give you more insight.

Do you have a car, truck, or motorcycle? If yes, then find a place that will allow you to test both shafts (or more shafts). You are correct to ask which shaft to use, but you should actually hit them before you buy them to see which one gives you better accuracy/distance combo. Yes I think accuracy is more important than distance.

EJ, I am only commenting because I follow Ryan Moore because his "crouched" setup is similar to mine. I suggest you get some lessons from a pro instructor that you feel comfortable with and will listen to you. I have tried to mimic many pro swings and found that the instruction from a pro ,(combined with me grooving my swing using a SkyPro), helped me reduce my handicap to single digits. Body types are different so the pro will hopefully teach you the easiest swing for your body type. Hopefully your pro will use video and match you up with a pro golfer with a similar stance with swing mechanics that you can reproduce with practice. Good Luck.

As ElMachoGolf has stated, SwingTalk and 3Bays GSA are similar in the raw data that is fed back to the golfer but the 3Bays does not have voice feedback. SwingTalk (according to the video I watched on YouTube) does not tell you the carry distance like the 3Bays does. The 3Bays also shows you follow through on the animation and only costs $200 or less on Amazon.com. I did a more extensive review in another thread of both the 3Bays and of the SkyPro. The advantage the 3Bays has is the feedback on carry distance. No other product will give you both Golf Swing Analysis and carry distance in this price range. My buddy owns the 3Bays GSA. I own the SkyPro (no voice feedback). SwingTalk (according to the video I watched on YouTube) appears to save a swing to let you compare future swings to it. SkyPro has a groove mode that allows you to rehearse a swing you like and tells you how close (or not) you are to reproducing that swing. So you can groove YOUR swing to a swing that YOU produced instead of the recommended swing the golf instructors are preaching. Please YouTube both the 3Bays GSA and the SkyPro and freeze frame the raw data screens. All three of these products (referencing SwingTalk) give the same raw data with a couple of major differences. I have found that producing a swing with predictable carry distance is the most beneficial, so I would recommend my buddies 3Bays GSA. No my SkyPro is not for sale as it is a great product for helping me to reproduce my better swings. I bought an ES12 for distance feedback. ***NOTE*** 3Bays GSA is calculating distance based on club selection and swing speed and other variables. This can be tweaked. It has no idea of how windy it is, or how much you shanked your last shot. It IS NOT a launch monitor. 3Bays GSA has separate models for Android and iOS. Good Luck!

For what it's worth, I have been collecting autographed golf balls from pro golfers after they finish a round during the AT&T; Championship here in San Antonio, TX. The balls (in my collection from years past) other than Pro V1's they've are played are; Srixon Z-Star XV, Srixon Z-Star, Callaway SR3 +, Callaway TOURix, Nike One Black Proto M5 (unfair right?), Taylormade PENTA (they covered it with black sharpie so I couldn't see the number), and unbelievably a Callaway Chrome +. The vast majority and remaining balls the pro's have played in my collection are Pro V1's.

I know this opinion will not see very much light of day because it will be buried by the 1000's of other opinions. Instead of quitting, Tiger needs to talk to Tom Watson (who almost won the Open recently at the age of 59) and Angel Cabrera (who seems to always be doing well at The Masters), Fred Couples, and other older golfers who stopped chasing stats and just started SMARTLY playing within their aging selves to win or stay in the hunt. Tiger (and Phil) has shown us they have shots in their "bag" that we couldn't ever dream of pulling off. Now they both need more wisdom (Yes Phil is my favorite golfer).

I've played with several people like that. They don't respond favorably to advice on how not to blow up on the golf course. Completely not expected and catching me by surprise, they told me that they like the way I handle myself when I hit a bad shot. I either laugh at it or "shrug my shoulders/roll my eyes" and move on. So they like playing with me and sometimes it rubs off on them. One time a guy told me that he invited me to a tournament just because I had a calming influence on him. So I guess a good way to help them is to set the example.

34 pages so far on this topic. Y'all make me proud to be a TST member. We really love and are passionate about golf (amateur, pro, and all The Cups).

Absolutely not. I discovered Maxfli's and Wilson balls partly because Pro V1's are expensive and I saw some good responses on the TST for those brands. Then I discovered that my score didn't suffer much when playing "less than a Titleist" ball. After a few rounds, I figured out to allow for more roll-out on chips and have a higher ball flight (on approaches hitting to a certain distance) on low spinning 2 piece balls based on spin rate tests posted by non-biased golf magazines. Thank goodness that golf ball manufacturers are trying hard to get us to buy their products. I rarely play Pro V1's now.

I'm thinking about buying the ES12 Launch Monitor and using a bluetooth earbud from my smartphone so that the device cannot be heard by others and distract the other golfers on the driving range. Does anyone have experience with this and can offer some advice? My current Bluetooth earpiece only works on phone calls and nothing else. I currently have an i-Phone 3G and will upgrade this fall to the i-Phone 6. Thanks in advice for any replies.

Thank You very much. I like the style and the prices. I also invested in solar sleeves to reduce my sun exposure. I've met too many avid golfers with skin conditions from this game we love so much.

I live in San Antonio, TX. We have high temperatures (90+ degrees). I would like to know what the pro's are wearing that doesn't show their sweat, and is "cool/breathable"?? Thank you for your responses in advance.

I am commenting on the initial post by MvMac that started this thread. According to his quotes, Tiger obviously uses the Trackman. He didn't make the cut in his "comeback tournament". Real golf courses have uneven lies that you don't find at the driving range. I guess what I really want to say is that I haven't seen Trackman on uneven lies giving distance, and ball flight and spin measurements. I have reviewed the 3Bays GSA (it will give you swing path and DISTANCES [nothing in this price range does both] based on a calculation for approximately $200).The 3Bays GSA and ES12 will give us amateurs close enough distance measurements for much less money. Both devices can be taken to the golf course while you play for much, much, much, less money (and bulk) than a Trackman. Again, I believe the distances are close enough for us amateurs. If you are getting fitted for clubs/balls or being instructed on swing mechanics, then Trackman, GC2, and maybe P3Pro, are great tools (I'm not sure about ES14 yet). I'm not saying the Trackman isn't awesome. I am saying that we amateurs can benefit from much cheaper, more portable, and good enough Golf Swing Analyzers (like 3 Bays GSA) and Doppler radar devices (ES12 and maybe ES14).

Hey Topgrape. What Cubdog said is and has been true for me. It seems you weren't aware of the possibility of breaking 80 for the first time until you added up the score. When it comes to breaking 80 for the first time, just play the best strategy you can on every hole, one hole at a time. Use the high percentage shots that you have practiced or are very good at. The score will take care of itself. When you see how easy it is, you will ponder why it doesn't happen more often. It's just another mystery for us amateurs. We let our brains get in the way. I SAY AGAIN. "When it comes to breaking 80 for the first time, just play the best strategy you can on every hole, one hole at a time. Use the high percentage shots that you have practiced or are very good at. The score will take care of itself."