Warik

I've never traveled with my clubs before, so I'm a little concerned about flying them down to the Dominican Republic next week. I'm going on vacation to a resort with nearby golf and would like to play 2-3 rounds while I'm down there. Any tips for flying with clubs that may help me avoid headaches at the airport and/or ensure that my clubs survive the trip? I don't have a hard shell travel case. I have a "Tour Collection Gold Edition" Wheeled Travel Cover that has a padded top section, but that's about it. Should I leave the driver behind? I'd hate to unzip the bag and find the head snapped off because the baggage people piled stuff on top of it. Am I just being a worrywart?

After a playing partner hits a bad shot: "Don't worry - it happens to the best of us..... and you."

I have one of those large plastic bins you can buy from Target or Walmart in my trunk and I put my shoes in it. I put them in here rather than in a shoe tote or just tossed in the trunk because they are usually wet on the bottom or have a bunch of dirt/grass stuck to them after a round, and I'm too lazy to clean them up more than once a month. Result is permanent trunk storage of shoes without the messy side effects.

A quote I shared with my friend a few days ago, as he was preparing to hit over a lake: "You can either hit one more club or one more ball." He ended up hitting two more balls. =)

I shoot in the 100s and I think a 4 hour round is unacceptably long. Heck, I played 18 this weekend and finished my round in 3 hours, drank 2 beers, AND enjoyed the scenery (from the rough searching for my ball on several holes). How ANYBODY could suggest that a 4.5 hr round is fine and to quit moaning and sit back and enjoy it is beyond me. It takes me 3-3.5 hours to play a round. If I have to wait 4.5 hours, 1-1.5 hours of my life are lost and they weren't spent playing golf... when you have to sit around and wait for an hour and a half, YOU AREN'T PLAYING GOLF. You want to have a beer and enjoy the scenery? Be my guest. Do it while I play through your slow group.

I play alone close to 90% of the time. I absolutely hate it. I usually play a 9-hole par-31 2-3x per week before work, one or two those times with my buddy. When I play alone there, I usually don't mind because I'm 1st or 2nd off the tee and I walk. What I *HATE* is when I play 18 because I NEVER have anybody I can go with. One friend can NEVER play on weekends and the other never answers his phone, and when he does finally show up after 2-3 weeks of trying, he plays horribly and makes the game generally unenjoyable for me. Never compliments my good shots/putts, says "lucky" 10x a round, and finishes off the score tally by telling me "the only reason you won is because... blah blah blah..." generally making me wish I didn't invite him out in the first place. So when I DO play alone, I always run into a group after 3-4 holes, then I have to wait 2-3 holes before they get the picture and let me through... after which point my game has deteriorated due to so much waiting and I end up finishing my round terribly (as if it weren't hard enough trying to have a good round with a high handicap). In summary, be grateful for your golf buddies and play with them as often as you can. Foursomes are great. Playing alone sucks.

Edwin Watts used a heat gun on my driver today when I bought it to remove the label. If I hadn't have read this post yesterday I would have totally freaked out.

The only thing you're likely to accomplish is making yourself feel better for a moment. People with such lack of consideration usually don't care to be reminded of it. The best you could hope for is that maybe ONE of them is reasonable and will tell the other's you're right after you leave. I'd recommend being more explicative rather than confrontational. People respond to reason better than they respond to what they perceive as aggression, but in either case, I wouldn't be afraid to say something. Not like they're going to club you or anything.

I went over to Edwin Watts today to get a recommendation on a driver. I told them I do not and have never owned a driver, that I was looking for something that would be forgiving to my inconsistent 40 handicapper swing, and that would still work for me when I cut that handicap in half so that I don't have to go out and buy a new driver a year from now. I didn't specify how much I was willing to spend. The salesrep started me off with a SasQuatch 460 with regular flex. I don't recall the loft. I was hitting it close to the heel and getting a 100 yards of carry before hitting the ground hard and stopping dead. I was starting to think I was wasting my time and this guy's time by going through this process. Then I hit a few more shots and loosened up. Started hitting them straighter and farther. He then grabbed a Callaway X for me, regular flex shaft and I hit a few of those. It wasn't bad, but I liked the SasQuatch better. We moved on to the Callaway Big Bertha and I was really pounding that one. I think the poor performance with the SasQuatch and X were because I was a bit nervous and not warmed up. After a few more shots he told me he was going to grab something with a stiff shaft and have me hit a few of those. I hit 2 or 3 more drivers and then he brings out a SasQuatch SUMO, stiff flex, 10.5 degree loft and tells me to hit a few. It felt better than any of the other drivers and he said my numbers on the launch monitor reflected that. My swing speed was ranging between 95mph and 105mph, average was about 98mph. RPM 2400-3900, average about 3300. He said that I want to keep myself at or over 100mph and just under 3000 RPM for ideal flight. The number he was concerned about was my launch angle. On average I was getting a launch angle of 7-8 degrees. He said I should have 10-11+... but my drives with the SUMO were carrying, on AVERAGE, 250 yards according to the computer. Final distance was 275+ and I hit 3 of them that came to rest at 300 yards. I don't know how accurate launch monitors are at gauging distance, but for most of these drives I could FEEL that I hit them well before the screen switched to ballflight view and showed me where I ended up. The other rep said not to worry about the launch angle on the computer so much because his drives on the launch monitor usually say 9 degree launch angle and he hits them much higher in real life, but that the distances are fairly accurate and that if I could take the swing I had in the shop out on the golf course I could expect to average 260+. He also said I must be hustling them with my supposed 40 handicap. Either by sheer folly or by sudden discovery of how to swing the golf club, I fell in love with the driver and bought it. Came out to $299 + tax. Can't wait to try it out on the range tomorrow and then play 18 with it.

Thanks everybody. Hopefully I'll be able to get a decent recommendation despite my handicap and typically less than desirable ball flight.

Hello. I'm a ~35-40 handicapper, mostly due to trouble around the greens, but also partly due to trouble off the tee. I've been teeing off with a 3-wood for as long as I can remember. I mostly hit it with a more-than-slight-fade/less-than-slice flight pattern I can't get rid of which usually leaves me in the right rough even if I aim left. Often times; however, when I make solid contact it's come to rest 230-250 from where it started. I've been thinking of picking up a driver and seeing if some good shots off the tee will build my confidence and help me out as I get closer to the green. The local sporting goods store has a club testing room where you just hit into a net and decide which club "feels" better for you, but I have no idea what to look for, or what sort of shaft and loft I'd want on a driver. Edwin Watts has a launch monitor and the guy said I could hit a bunch of drivers and they'd make a recommendation based on my swing speed, launch angle, spin, and typical ball flight. However, as I stated before, I'm a very high handicapper and I'm not sure it'd be worth it for me to go through that procedure to choose a driver. Am I wrong? So... what sort of driver would be a good one for someone of my handicap to try out? I'm not looking to or expecting to hit the ball 300 yards with an expensive driver. I just need something that maximizes my chances of staying in the fairway, because I know my strength and a bit of solid contact will help me drive the ball a mile. Also, would it be worth it for me to hop into the Edwin Watts launch monitor to get a recommendation, or would it just be a waste of money given my skill level? Thanks a lot for any recommendations.

Mailed in my registration a few days ago. Bag tag, hat, and rulebook for $15 can't be beat. The hat alone is worth it.

Goal: Break 100. Came close once with a 105... everything since then has been 108 to 115. I know I have what it takes, just haven't had it all at the same time. One day I'm fine off the tee but can't hit an approach shot to save my life. Another day I'm putting and chipping like a pro, but it takes 4 shots to get to the green. Soon.

My balls don't last long enough to get damaged to the point where they shouldn't be played. I'll play anything from a shiny new Pro V1 to a bargain bin Top Flite I found in the deep rough that is 2-3 shots away from falling apart.

Another disastrous Sunday for me. Shot 117 at one of my local courses (68.0/115). However, after a 62 on the front and a disastrous first 6 holes on the back I have a great hole that reminds me that I might actually break 100 some day. #17 is a 345-yd par 4. I blast my tee shot perfectly straight down the center of the fairway 245 yards with my 3-wood (I don't have a driver). With 100 left to the hole, I whip out my 56 degree sandwedge and put the ball on the green about 12 feet from the pin, taking a PGA tour-quality divot that flew 10 yards in the process. My first putt leaves the ball 1 foot past the hole, passing only inches away from it on the way there. Tap-in for par. Why can't I do this, oh, 9 times out of 18?