SAGolfLuvr

DaggerSA has a TE Driver and the fairway woods. He is down to a 22 handicap, taking lessons, and is always practicing. He just sent the driver back to TE ( because it is under warranty) for a SECOND time because he caved in the face. I saw the damage myself. It took only 2 months for the driver face to be caved in after his first driver was replaced by TE. He is hitting the sweet spot just above the center. TE has great customer service and replaced the first one with no questions asked. The TE fairway woods are great. He's let me try them and they are somehow easier to hit than my own (TM VSteel) and they have great distance and control.

Trust me. Please wait until you miss hit every club almost the same way. THEN go and get fitted by a professional. THEN buy a set of second hand clubs that match your new swing, or have the second hand clubs adjusted. Your swing has many changes to encounter. Then you will want to upgrade from your second set of clubs. Be patient. Don't waste money (like I did when I first started). I suggest you wait 6 months at the very least. Keep playing. There are many discoveries (ah hah moments) that you will encounter along the way. Be patient, don't switch clubs yet.

Old balls? Any ball can/will cause damage depending on the condition the ball is in. Golf balls that still have dirt and sand on them, driving range balls that have dirt and sand embedded in them, and scuffed balls with foreign material on/in them will definitely cause wear on a golf club. If you do a image search on worn out grooves you can see the results of this. Less than quality swings, IE hitting too close to the crown on the driver causing the paint to chip, or hitting the ground way behind the ball causing shaft/club head damage, are all factors too.Taking divots on less than plush lies and taking divots with painted club faces all cause wear. Using the wrong equipment and techniques to clean your clubs will also cause wear. In the "spirit" of what your friend told you, I "agree" with him. Check out the article below. http://golf-patents.com/2011/03/25/do-golf-clubs-wear-out.aspx

I've played both Pinemeadow and Snake Eyes irons and woods when I first started playing the game. They are great clubs. I should have kept them around longer on both occasions when I upgraded.

I know better than to try to advise a handicap better than mine. So these two video series are what has been keeping my scores in the 80's. MAYBE they will help you. several vids available but be a man, buy the dvd.

Keep up the good work and I really really hope you acheive your weight loss, power, balance, and flexibility goals.

Most single digit handicaps practice/play a lot while a few just warm up before a round? (according to the postings so far) Interesting as I am trying to be a single digit handicap someday. I've heard a lot about putting practice so far. Hmmm.

I jokingly tell guys playing the newer King Cobra drivers (last 3 years) that they are playing illegal clubs. Seems they go a country mile with a smooth and not so fast swing. Not sure if it is the shaft, driver head, or both. (I own and use two Callaway Drivers so I am not biased, maybe jealous though ). So if you have a Golf Galaxy or Golfsmith nearby, see if you can demo a King Cobra to see if it's longer.

Thanks. For the price of the projector, you can put a big flat screen on layaway at a pawn shop. Yes you must make sure you check your laptop or computer to see what connector it has for video output and then make sure the large flat screen has the matching video receiving port. A good projector runs the same or higher price than a flat screen TV (32 to 42 inch) in a pawn shop. Not to mention having an extra flat screen TV can be pretty useful. So you focus on hitting a spot on the tarp/net, you swing, then you look at the flat screen (sitting out of recoil range of your ball) to see the shot. It helps to keep your head down and you will get a crystal clear view. VERY IMPORTANT that the remote control you get from the pawn shop MATCHES the flat screen you get. Good Luck!

The 3 Bays GSA Pro Swing Analyzer is awesome. DaggerSA has demonstrated the 3 Bays GSA Pro to me. After he swings the club he specified to the GSA Pro, it will provide him with the following data; Consistency, Tempo, Impact Force, Club Head Speed, Ball Speed, Carry Distance, Face Angle, Swing Path, Back Swing and Down Swing Time and compare those numbers to a pro golfer of your choice in their database. He can then switch the screen/mode and it will show him a avatar performing a nearly perfect reproduction of his golf swing (both down the line views and full on views) so that he can see what his swing plane looks like slowed down from start to finish, impact position, and how the club head traveled, etc. Pros; It is well worth the $200 he paid for it. It is very portable, requiring an App loaded on your smartphone (I will not speak for Win8) and the device itself. It TRULY IS the smallest, lightest, swing analyzer, unparalleled in quality for the $200 they are charging. It can be brought onto the golf course to see why "you can't" bring your driving range swing to the course (yes, yes, only on practice rounds, yes, yes). In the time it takes you to walk from the green to the next tee box, you can turn it on and and que your smartphone and it is ready to receive your next swing for analyzing (again, I won't speak for Win8) You can hit foam balls, or Birdie Balls, etc at home so that you can see your ball flight and then compare your analyzed swing data. Cons; Instructions are limited, the manufacturer figures we all know how to pair a blu-tooth device. The first pairing may not be the best one. Start the APP AFTER you put the device in discover mode. It does not tell you how much open or how much closed your impact was. It simply says "open" or "closed" or "square". When hitting real balls, check the device to make sure the alignment has not changed and that it is not "backing-out" of the grip (also good advice for you big divot takers). The vibration from the impact will cause some movement. It does not know when you have chunked or topped the ball. (most of the time my Optishot doesn't either). I hope this helps the rest of you who were wondering about this product.

Please read all the other posts in this thread above me AGAIN. They are all correct. To add to what they said, be prepared for the round AFTER you break 80 for your first time to be a very high scoring round. Very few of us do it back to back after the first time. Guess what? We are ALL saying that you will do it eventually. Work on chipping for 1-putts and let it happen on its own like it did for us.

I'll show you the OptiShot/SwingGroover part. I apologize for my lack of photographing expertise. I put shaved down shims on the floor to level the Optishot as the other side rests on the SwingGroover plate. I drilled a hole into a "firm" foam ball, slipped the rope through and tied the knot below a washer. If you don't do this, the knot will work its way through the foam ball between the 5th and 8th swing, sending the foam ball flying.

As Harmonious has stated about Golfsmith. They fitted me for driver, 45 min later, I walked out of there with a used driver that matches my swing. YES the shaft is something that I never would have tried if not for the fitting. Secondly, Golfsmith has extra bays that you can hit used drivers in and simply experiment without paying for a fitting. Good Luck.

SBaconator, My Optishot doesn't need the net anymore. I took the useless SwingGroover, bolted it to plywood, set the Optishot sensor underneath and finally found a good use for the SwingGroover. I replaced the plastic ball with a foam ball (the original plastic ball shattered). Now I don't have to retrieve balls anymore. I have my laptop connected to a 42 inch flat screen. It's cheaper than a projector and screen. It's an indoor unit because it uses infra-red light. If you try to use it outside, the infra-red from the Sun causes the unit to not function. Amazingwhacker and I describe the Optishot just 1 and 2 posts before yours. I REALLY ENJOY MY OPTISHOT. Not only can you save money warming up before a round at home, you can work on your swing during the winter and "play golf" when the weather is too wet/hot/cold etc. MAKE SURE you have enough room to swing your clubs AGRESSIVELY before you spend $400 on it.

http://www.usga.org/handicapping/publications/To-Post-Or-Not-To-Post/ Unfortunately this doesn't cover weather conditions. Hence the saying "Fair weather golfer?" In my opinion, I think you have to be consistent. Unless you're in a tournament, why would you post your score in 25+ windy conditions unless you're happy to have a few "sandbagging" scores in there. Just my opinion.

My original quote that prompted this response from Valleygolfer. "I think every city (depending on size) needs a course or two that FAMILIES (everyone from 90plus years old to 10 years old) can play so that the rest of us averaging 30 - 58 rounds per year or more can play 4 hour 30 min rounds (or quicker). I heard that "everyone is in a hurry" so since the game take so much time out of our lives we quit or don't play often. I can't prove this but I think that If we avid golfers really want to play, we like minded golfers, gravitate to a course or two with a reputation for good pace of play that's within our price range." Some folks need WAY forward tees. I TOTALLY agree with Valleygolfer that golf courses won't turn away golfers and point them to the course or courses I describe\beg for in my quote and that is a big part of the problem. Why don't city golf course managers get together and help each other out in these hard times? Airlines, Colleges, Cell and Cable companies, all MARKET (furthering Valleygolfer's point) to specific peoples and incomes so why don't golf courses listen to their customers, get together and change the paradigm, and do the same? Even Bowling alleys built in something to help beginners. Oh yeah. Golf courses don't ask for nor want to know what we golfers think or feel. Sorry my bad. Valleygolfer's right. I'll just keep "dreaming".

Taylormade Penta worked great for me (great chipping control too). But I put in a write-in vote for Wilson DOU. Great performing bargain ball, that doesn't scuff easily like NXT.

On the one point, I agree with my man Phil. I think TPC courses should have a 126 slope and below course for amateurs who want to have fun and have the 136 slope and above course for the amateurs that want that "tour experience". Why should ANYONE pay triple digit prices to score 90 and above?? I think every city (depending on size) needs a course or two that FAMILIES (everyone from 90plus years old to 10 years old) can play so that the rest of us averaging 30 - 58 rounds per year or more can play 4 hour 30 min rounds (or quicker). I heard that "everyone is in a hurry" so since the game take so much time out of our lives we quit or don't play often. I can't prove this but I think that If we avid golfers really want to play, we like minded golfers, gravitate to a course or two with a reputation for good pace of play that's within our price range. Lastly, The cost of the game is tremendous in time and money. One of the reasons I post here is so I can be as much as an ambassador to the game here as I am in San Antonio, TX. I have helped many newbies save money because no one was there for me when I spent my first $3000 and countless hours learning the game. Let's spread the word that brand new clubs aren't the best answer (until we are forced to due to groove and putter rule changes). Let's spread the word that paying full price for green fees is not wise and ignorance of city/county/age/military/internet golf discounts are no longer acceptable (dramatic, but it means they didn't even look or try). And let's talk newbies in to getting instructions from good and economical teaching pros we know so that they get a good foundation (and some golf etiquette) and a reason to keep coming back.

Joshmit, as Dave suggests, have you tried the one in Dave & Busters?

I am TRULY VERY SORRY if I offend anyone, but I can't focus on golf for more than 4hours and 30minutes which is why I like a "fast pace" (which is actually the recommended pace). I have been trying to read articles and watch videos on the mental game to calm me down, help me focus, and play better no matter what the pace of play is. Since the recommended pace of play is rarely enforced, ("marshalls" don't want to anger slow golfers because they may not come back and many slow golfers appear to be oblivious to how slow they really are (and don't care) and will not speed up anyway), I started walking as a way to calm me down so that I wouldn't have to wait as much when I got to my ball. I play better that way (walking) because I'm thinking of my shot as I approach the ball. Set up and hit, staying in rythm. When I am allowed to play that way (on courses with 126 or less slope) I score low 80's and occasionaly break 80. Some group, (sometimes my group) is going to have a bad day and the pace is likely to be a 5 hour pace or slower on the affordable courses we play on the weekend. There is no solution to this problem. It's all luck. So I'm stuck unless I want to find a new hobby, but I love golf too much to quit for slow play.

Like DocWu said. I will never play Pebble Beach, BethPage Black (even though it is technically possible), Agusta National, TPC Sawgrass, and both courses at St. Andrews, Carnoustie, and Murfield. It would be nice to see what's so hard about playing in 30mph wind, 10 foot deep bunkers, drainage canals and narrow bridges for hazards, super slick greens, high trees, narrow fairways, and island greens. Piece of cake right? Those would be my simulator rounds so that when I see it on TV, I will "kinda" know what the pro is "seeing and experiencing". It would be fun trying to put your ball near the spot where Tiger made the "chip heard around the world" (Better than most!) at Augusta national.

I took a golf swing lesson because I kept hitting balls to the right, even when the instructor would make changes in my grip and ball placement. Finally he gave me some other 6 irons to try. I him them much better than my own. That's when I knew. It was cheaper and easier to get a new set than to have my set reshafted and adjusted professionally (I bought the Adams A7 displays).

I would like to Break 80 often enough to improve to a single digit handicap. For some reason, I think that is easier than getting healthier and more flexible.

Glock that IS pretty awesome. Us city/suburb locked folks are salivating...

The old "hit and hope" approach.......... I am not trying to take Buckeye's quote and opinion (of which I agree with) out of context. I just want to point out that most of us high handicappers are trying to get as close as possible to the hole on a "birdie opportunity" par 5. Hmmm, sounds like the strategy for all holes we play. I have learned to play for the one-putt. This means laying up to my favorite chipping wedge situation and distance. Chip-in birdies are rare but they do happen. Seems that when I "tried" for birdie or eagle, I ended up with double bogey. When my game improves to a single handicap, I will try to make it to the green in two.