Dabbler

This is meant to be a light hearted and easy going thread. Basically I'm asking which tour player is iconic to you and for what reason. The only thing I ask is that the "thing" that makes them iconic MUST be unique and related to their golf, not a private life issue. My own contribution is Miguel Angel Jimenez for the combination of his golf shoes and cigars.

I'm referring to Ghalfaire's post. I was on a mobile phone and messed up the quote and reply. If you will excuse me pointing my own broad brush at you as I've never been to America, "I feel and hear you brother!" Well said! It confounds me how often we do this as humans. We pigeonhole people at every turn in every circumstance just to make our lives easier. It would just be too difficult if we had to take each experience of life as new. The irony is that some of those complaining about Bubba are calling him a "typical" American. So if he behaved as a "typical" American why the hullabaloo about his conduct on France? But my own misguided "injustice" with it all is the delusion that golfers are expected to be somehow more "intelligent", "cultured", and able to mollify the insatiable viewers desires.

To Everyone, pro and anti Bubba's perceived behaviour in France. Is every golfer, footballer, whatever sportsman, supposed to gain a grasp of the reporting media tactics required to mollify the mob that is us? These guys (golfers) are simply that, golfers. They do not have any added responsibility to manage our fragile senses of what is right or wrong. Personally, I have never liked Bubba Watson and I fully accept that there is no rhyme or reason to justify my dislike of him. It is absolutely unfounded. BUT I do not hold him responsible to "sweet talk" the media saying he is enjoying himself in France if he is not. Let the guy be himself. Let him live. Let him play golf. Let him be Bubba Watson. If you don't like it, then observe that you don't like it and find it amusing because that is all it is. Born elsewhere under different circumstances you may have been his biggest fan. Just live and let live. Bubba does not represent "America" whatever that is. He represents Bubba. I think I'll stop now. All I'm asking is that we live our lives share our opinions, but not denigrate people for being who they are.

I've never laughed so much in my short time on this forum. The first post was OK I guess. There are many things in life I passionately believe in but deep down I know them to be purely my not necessarily rational preference. Later posts by the OP became more and more weird. It resembled being preached at by a new convert to a cult / religion, being told I'm damned if I don't convert. I have a game tomorrow and goodness knows how I'll feel standing over the ball with my Miuras with a nagging doubt that I've got the "wrong" irons. So if these hallowed Eye 2's are indeed the bee's knees, why has Ping bothered to produce anything else afterwards? What of everything else, Drivers, fairway woods, putters etc? Why stop there? Am I driving the right car, seeing that even divot tools need careful consideration? Very entertaining though.

Going back to the original post which I believe was referring to their SWINGS NOT their ACHIEVEMENTS: Mark O'Meara played two rounds with Rory at the Dubai Desert Classic in January 2009 BEFORE Rory had won anything on tour. From what I've read Mark O'Meara is a close friend of Tiger, or certainly was at the time, so I have to assume he had no reason to "talk down" Tiger. He said of McIlroy, "Ball striking wise at 19, he's probably better than what Tiger was at 19. His technique I think is better. Certainly Tiger has developed his game and swing over the years and made modifications to be able to hit the ball pin high, but Rory is already a step ahead." I don't know if that counts for anything, but I guess the question now is has Rory improved since 2009? I've watched him at in the flesh at three Tournaments and an extra one at the opening of a Gary Player course where he was just messing around. The guy is exceptional. It's the effortlessness that stands out more than anything. Tiger (my favorite golfer by the way) has a swing which I would not call effortless. I know this is subjective. But at times Tiger finishes out of balance which I'm yet to see from Rory.

Check out www.leaderboardnow.com I think it's exactly what you are looking for.

This is probably the best thread I've read so far in my short time on TST. The post by uttexas I think hits the nail on the head. Lots of well thought out opinions by many other posters and the central issues seem to be of time, money, & standard of play. They would all go a long way to being solved by 9 hole par 3 courses being available. I coach both my boys aged 5 and 7. One should not attempt to relive one's youth through one's children but I'm dammed if one of my boys ever gets called up for bad etiquette on a golf course having had me to learn from. The ONLY sensible place I am able to teach them is on a quiet day at the par 3 course attached to our championship course. The first day I ever took them to play "proper" golf (after six months on and off at the range) was on this par 3 course. I did everything by the book including swapping score cards and marking each other's score after every hole. We only managed 5 holes cause the little one tired out. We let about four groups past in this time. Every grain of bunker entered was raked to a fine finish. Every good shot applauded. Playing order was strict to the rules. This was not to make them think golf is too strict (actually they really got into the etiquette rules & were trying to outdo each other!) but to give them a basis from which to always return in the future. They will only venture out onto a full course when I'm confident they can get the ball into the hole from 150 yards out within four strkes or we pick up & move on. In Denmark most courses Do Not allow you to play until you have accompanied the pro and played the first four holes less than 10 over! In another of the European countries you have to pass an etiquette test to be allowed on the course! All this can only be achieved if there are plenty of cheap par 3 courses. My mate who plays off a 2 handicap practices all his golf on the par 3 playing two balls. He says that's all he needs to tune up his game as the only thing missing is the driver tee shot which he says he can practice at the range picking specific targets.

Why not ditch the skins and do the scoring using Stableford points per hole?

My long term golf partner who I'm always beating on skins had a handicap of 20 and it was on the way up. I have all his golf scores for the past four months on my iPhone Golfcard application. Six weeks ago on two consecutive weeks, over nine holes, he shot a gross 4 over par the first week and followed it up with a gross level par the second week! These rounds were part of our weekly golf society competition. If people in the group had not known him and his general play over the last year or so, he would have been accused of being the master of all sandbaggers. His handicap is now 15 and he has gone back to the play we usually associate him with. I guess I'm just saying that freak scores do happen and we must not always jump to conclusions.

I'm always ruled by the heart and not the head. One of my best ever rounds was similar to yours with low GIR and high single putts. However: I still cannot match anywhere on a golf course the feeling when my 3 wood connects and my ball sails onto a par 5 green in two, and I'm walking up to an eagle putt. Did this on a 550 yard par 5 and sunk a 5 foot eagle putt! Oh pure heaven!

You've said it all in your post. My weekly golf colleague and I "collect" what you could call "scorers". We keep a mental note of all low handicappers with weird swings/ ball flights. The lowest we have right now is a guy who plays off 4. If you saw Jim at the range and took bets you'd be bankrupted. Awkward swing, weird follow through and ugly looking low fade. The only clue would be if you watched were his balls are landing when he's hitting the same club; all within a six foot circle on the range. But then you and I wouldn't see that because like you (maybe) one of the things I'm moat drawn to is the look of the swing. I famously once creamed a drive dead straight, high flight and with a considerable roll. My group were all hollering with glee, only to see me annoyed that I had nearly fallen over in my follow through and struggling to keep balance!

You might also want to clarify that "Longest Drive" means longest from the tee and finishing on the fairway. We had an instance last year where one drive was long and finished nearer the pin than another long drive which was longer and on the fairway but not nearer the pin!

I can send you links to Golf Canada's youth program. It gives guidelines for introducing young people to golf, and for coaching them as they excel. Keep in mind that Canada doesn't produce a ton of world class players, but golf isn't as competitive in most regions of Canada as it is in the US. This program attempts to addresss that while keeping kids interested along the way. Thank you, I'd definitely like to look through what they have.

Thanks MBD and Sean, The boys already have clubs. The 5 yr old inherited his 7 yr old brother's "US Kids Golf" set (driver, 7 iron & putter) and the 7 yr old has a junior Taylor Made set for his height. What I am aiming for I guess is to somehow make their practice slightly more demanding than when they play. I'll come up with something I'm sure. We have excellent chipping contests which are quite close. I do want to keep it fun for them otherwise as MBD wrote they'll lose interest. Sean I appreciate the link you put in your reply. Useful for me let alone them!

Try this one, regardless of how fast you swing. Incidentally I prefer to use the term "fast" as opposed to "hard". I find that thinking "hard" tends to encourage tension whereas "fast" keeps me loose. Anyway here goes, it's a bit strange to describe but works when I do it: Don't think about the head. When you've taken your stance, imagine that there is a rigid steel rod which is fixed into the ground and comes up right through your "ass" (as our US friends would say), and runs right through your torso at the precise spine angle you've assumed at address, and comes out at the top of your head. This steel rod is OK for you to pivot your body around, but will hurt like hell if your tilt or slide your body even one iota away from your current position. Now do your full backswing and downswing keeping this in mind. The steel rod dissolves instantaneously right after impact.