roverT7

The difference would be "apropos" of something, regardless of when impact occurs. Something must explain the difference in rate of vibration, right? Furthermore, as the original poster did not relate shaft vibration to ball flight, I'm not certain your use of apropos is grammatically correct. "Immaterial" might have been a better choice of words. Regardless, I am certain your post was incredibly condescending.

I'm thinking of finally taking a lesson. Every so often I hear someone say that so-and-so is a great instructor, or that you've got to talk to Joe somebody at this course over hear. How to decide, without just trying them all I suppose??? Money is a big issue, so I would prefer to not drop $ on a bad instructor. Anyone have thoughts on what makes a good instructor? I've always read that you should stay away from anyone who immediately tries to change every aspect of your swing. Any other thoughts? Also, what do instructors charge in your area? Instructors at the public courses around here look to average about $45/hour. I've also noticed that some instructors will follow you on the course for 9 or 18 holes, at a higher rate. Anyone done this and thought it was much more rewarding that simply hitting shots on the driving range in front of the instructor? Finally, is it pretty standard now for the instructor to have access to video capture technology, equipment to capture launch angle, spin rate, etc., and to include this in the hourly rate? Lot's of questions, I know. Thanks for any responses, Rob

Yes, to win the tournament you shoot the lowest score in order to beat the rest of the field. Golf 101. I think everyone would agree to this point. But we are talking about another concept in discussions of par. It has to do with the psychology of the game. I would try and reiterate the point, but after reviewing the thread again, I think Iacas made the point pretty well:

I think you are both making solid points. With regard to your point, yes I agree that the winner could finish at +6, therefore theoretical "par" is irrelevant to final score. But I think the original speaker is also making a valid point. To complete 18 holes, you have to go a certain distance, right? You've got to go 7600 yards, and you've got 71 strokes to do it in. Par is relevant, because the pro's are going to expect to make par. Which means they will expect to be on a green in regulation, which means they will pressure themselves to make high quality shots. So par is relevant. If you make par 90 strokes, you've relieved a great deal of the pressure, because now the pro can take a shorter club to go the same distance (7600 yards) within par. For instance, if you are facing a 500-yard par 5, you've got to "average" 100 yards per shot. But if I suddenly drop par to 4, now you have to average 125 yards. You are forced to go the same distance in a fewer number of strokes. This translates to a more difficult shot somewhere on the fairway. I.e., you'll be hitting a 4-iron into the green instead of a 9-iron. So by decreasing par, but leaving the course at 7600 yards, the PGA has increased the pressure on the professional golfer, who by his very nature will gauge his play by par. So I think it's a valid point.

I'd say you missed the boat on this by about 15 years. Just like all of the ~22y.o.'ds getting their real estate licenses right now with dreams of easy $$$, you'd be catching a "falling knife". There are too many courses as it is now. Within 60 miles of where I am sitting, I can think of 12 public courses and twice that many private courses. I can also think of 3 of those that are in dire financial straights, and I would think I could guess the next 6 that will follow. Now consider the fact that water resources are only going to become more scarce...I don't think you want to be in the golf course business right now. Your best bet would be wait ~6-10 years for more and more courses to shut down, do a ton of research in the interim, and then cherry pick the best course(es) to buy on the cheap. FYI...the course that's done the best around here has really upset the local market. A nationwide development company came in and bought a struggling course, did some minor work on it, and built apartments on site. If you rent an apartment, you play free. Or you can join for 2 years and get a free set of new clubs as a bonus. Their business model is killing everyone else's traditional model. And most importantly....if you are really going to get in to this, do not use your own money! Find affluent investors, have them sign investment agreements limiting your liability, work your a@@ off, and then sleep well at night regardless of how it turns out. Good luck, Rob

There was an article in the New York Times last year comparing golf to poker. The premise of the article? The rush that a single good shot brings to the average golfer is very similar to the rush a habitual gambler feels over the occasional winning bet. They thought is was an addiction. I think the game is a challenge, and the method of scoring creates an intense desire to get better. And for those who are not great players (i.e., they shoot high scores that are not worth keeping track of), there are so many other "objective" challenges in the game: - how far do you hit your drive? - how far do you hit your irons? - can you put backspin on a ball? - can you get up and down from a bunker? Beyond this, the atmosphere provided during a round of golf with your 3 buddies is very difficult to duplicate. So for me, I don't know that the game is addictive, as much as it is challenging and rewarding on so many levels. Rob

Rolex Air King...what a gorgeous watch. I'd never drop the $$$ for it, though.

Cool...thanks for the input. I'm going to have my 8-iron re-gripped just to see how it performs. Pretty good reviews here: http://www.golfsmith.com/products/18723 I started playing with a set of hogans that had reminder cords running along the bottom, so I guess I'm somewhat accustomed to the feel...hence the affinity for the TM's Thanks Rob

I love the grips on Taylormade's clubs. For lack of a better description, they feel like tapered rubber. I guess they have a guide in the back, to assist with the player's grip (muscle memory, etc.). I'm thinking about replacing the grips on my clubs with these grips. Has anyone tried this? The only thing is, I haven't hit a ball with one of their clubs, so I may not like them on the course. Anyone who plays TM's with these grips have an opinion on them? Thanks, Rob

A basic point regarding your swing: you aren't getting much of a shoulder turn. Because of this, your hips are not turning much at all. Ideally, you want your belt buckle pointing 45 degrees to the right at the top of your backswing. Your left shoulder should be directly under your chin. Your left arm is pretty straight in your swing, which is good to see. Practice a full turn with your shoulders and you'll be generating much more power. Try this: take a broomstick (or your driver) and place it over your shoulders. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, facing a mirror. Keeping your feet stable, turn your shoulders until the broomstick is pointing at the mirror. You should be facing the mirror the entire time (i.e., all that moves is your upper body - mainly shoulders, thus pulling hips.) This is the type of turn you are looking for. Feel the tension in your hips? Holding this position, bend forward 30 degrees from the hips...here's your ideal position at the top of the backswing.

And realize (as Hogan says in the book) any grip change is going to take forever to feel "natural"...

Same here. I have an i-pod, and I love music. Always listening to music..always. Use it on the range and while playing in regular foursome. Don't use it if I'm playing with anyone else, though. I plan to be jamming to Mercyful Fate when I'm on the driving range at age 90, so I always keep it on the lowest volume setting. Hear others fine...it's just that I love to have music accompanying my thoughts. Classical, jazz, metal, thrash, pop...whatever, so long as it is good. As far as others taking offense? Seriously, get over it. It doesn't affect you at all...and frankly, if you have a problem with me wearing earphones to listen to music that you can't hear or possibly be affected by, you sound like the one with the insecurities in social settings... this thread reminds me of the "do you wear sunglasses while playing poker?" thread. it's an interesting topic, in the senses that i always wonder how those cats image they look when they are sitting in some dark, smoky bar on the strip playing poker with play money at 2am...cuz to me they look pretty goofy, and I wouldn't wear them. but as far as my opinion of them? who cares? it doesn't affect my play, and it shouldn't affect the play of others...so it doesn't matter. same with i-pods on the course. same with the way ian poulter dresses...(just had to throw that in) Rob

Interesting...thanks for the info! Rob

Interesting. Also, I put my swing style in just as info. I would think having an upright swing would be even more of a negative for going with longer clubs. I would think that flatter swingers could accomodate longer shafts more easily. Does this make sense?

Yes, I agree with fitting. I guess my question was more focused on whether, assuming I am best fitted for a standard length shaft, the additional 1/2" in length would be incredibly detrimental, or if it would be a wash (ie, I could grip down, etc.). And I should stress that these are used clubs. If they were brand new, I'd insist on a full fitting process. But if I can get a deal, I will accept a little hardship in the near term. So you can just cut the extra length at a later date?

I've come across a used set of clubs I'm interested in purchasing...but they are 1/2 inch longer than standard. I've always played standard length clubs, so I'm not sure I should buy them. I'm 6' tall and I have an upright swing. Any thoughts in general? Am I tall enough that it won't matter?

We always say hit a tax shelter when someone sends a putt screaming past the cup...but then again we are law students, so our sense of humor is pretty warped. Rob

I've left a club before, but had it returned...definately gave me a warm fuzzy. I've also found clubs and turned them in. But what really burned me was the loss of a mizuno visor that I'd worn for about 6 months...almost had it perfectly broken in. Dropped it somewhere on the course and never saw it again:( But on a positive note, I did the same thing with my current Titleist visor about 4 weeks ago. After a few days of checking with the pro shop, I figured it was also a goner, but what do you know I ran into a kid from the club at a local bar, and it turns out someone had turned it in. He recognized me and figured the visor was mine. I bought him and his party a round of patron silver, just to say thanks to good people in general.

I'm no opthamologist, but I've always heard that your peripheral vision is best at picking up motion. So I would recommend the following: hit the shot, see where the ball is going in general, check to see if there is a specific spin (draw, fade), and then just look at the general area where you would expect it to land. Don't try and specifically follow the ball, but just let your eyes gaze at the 30+-yard swath of ground where you expect the ball to land. Trust your periph vision to pick up the movement of the ball as it strikes the ground. Focus on that spot and mark it in your mind. Pick up your bag and go hit your 2nd shot. FYI...I have really good vision, 20/10 and a tinge farsighted. I generally track all of the balls in my group and call them down. But I am a complete moron when it comes to actually remembering where I hit my shot! (So don't think that great vision alone is the answer.) I'm always walking up and down the course looking for my ball...I wouldn't include me in your group if you are totally committed to playing a round in 3.5 hours;) Good luck, hope this helps somewhat. Rob From wikipedia - Peripheral vision is weaker in humans, compared with other animals, especially at distinguishing color and shape. This is because the density of receptor cells on the retina is greatest at the center and lowest at the edges (see visual system for an explanation of these concepts). In addition, there are two types of receptor cells, rod cells and cone cells; rod cells are unable to distinguish color and are predominant at the periphery, while cone cells are concentrated mostly in the center of the retina (the macula). Peripheral vision is good at detecting motion (a feature of rod cells), and is relatively strong at night or in the dark, when the lack of color cues and lighting makes cone cells far less useful. This makes it useful for avoiding predators, who tend to hunt at night and may attack unexpectedly.

I've always used interlacing, but I recently tried overlapping for the first time, and it was an interesting experience. Let me preface by saying that I have not taken the grip to the range, but from just swinging the club my immediate impression was that my right-hand grip was much "less tense", or "looser". Intuitively, this feels less secure, but I'm wondering if this is not a better grip. Basically, I don't feel that I can strangle the club with my middle 2 fingers with the overlapping grip, while I often have to check myself when holding the club in the interlacing grip. I must conciously loosen the grip with these middle two fingers. So I'm interested in taking the grip to the range and verifying this. If nothing else, I figure I'll definately switch to overlapping on chips around the green. Has anyone played around with this, or noticed something similar? FYI...I was reviewing this site and walking through the steps they identify: http://www.golftoday.co.uk/proshop/tuition/lesson1.html I think this is a really great website. Right up there with Hogan's 5 lessons. Rob

I've always worn sunglasses, and frankly I can't understand why anyone would not. Sure they may distort your image some, but I'd rather protect my eyes than play perfect golf...not that I've got that problem, anyway. I used to buy expensive models by brands such as Maui Jim, Ray Ban, Oakley, etc...my last purchase was a cheap pair of knock-off ray ban aviators. Got them from this website: http://www.thesunglassmanonline.com/ For the price, they are pretty hard to beat. I'll never spend more than $15 on SG's in the future. But as far as top of the line sunglasses, I think Maui Jim's (with real glass lenses) provide the most clarity and color of any SG's I've ever worn. Rob

I would add one more thing to the excellent comment by x-forged. One thing to always keep in mind: all you can ever do in life is your best. It sounds like a simple cliche, but I think it is a pretty powerful concept. If you've worked hard at golf (and you obviously have, given your handicap), have confidence in yourself, but also have confidence in life. Things happen for a reason, and we often don't realize the reason why until well after the fact. So get some good rest tonight and give it your best shot. If you smoke the rest of the field, that's great. If you don't, because of nerves, or poor play, or whatever, don't let it get you down. Keep your head up, and keep working at it. While this may sound "anti-competitive", I think once you grasp this simple concept, you will become the ultimate competitor. You will sleep well at night knowing that whatever comes your way the next day, you've done all that you can do on your end in preparation. This is all that life asks of you... My word would be: "forged". From dictionary.com: 1.to form by heating and hammering; beat into shape. 2.to form or make, esp. by concentrated effort: to forge a friendship through mutual trust. 1.to move ahead slowly; progress steadily: to forge through dense underbrush. 2.to move ahead with increased speed and effectiveness (usually fol. by ahead): to forge ahead and finish the work in a burst of energy. Think of the work you've put in, and how you've formed something concrete that cannot be easily defeated. Also, forged irons are $$$$ lol ;) Good luck Rob

Sergio hit 7-iron into a 212-yard par 3 today at TPC Sawgrass...so apparently the introduction is not as crazy as it sounds!

That's a great score...congrats. Rob

Ok, is it me, or do advertising firms think that the only people who watch golf are 59-year-old business executives on the verge of retirement, who also happen to suffer from erectile disfunction??? I swear, I feel like I can almost predict the next commercial during a break. Cuz there's only 5! Rob p.s., Oh yeah...don't let me forget the guys with the weak bladders...