rustyredcab

To paraphrase my Mother, "You can lead a bore to knowledge but you can't make him think." You may need to get it through your head that you can not get it through his head. This really is about you. Either accept him as he is or stop playing with him. That said, I don't have anyone in my larger golf circle that shoots 140 so I can not say how I would react. I can, and do, manage fine with players who shoot in the 110's. I guess I'd stop playing with a pal who shoots 140 and is OK with his/her lack of progress. I think that makes me self-aware and does not make me a golf snob. But, maybe I'm a golf snob.

Strategically similar to the first hole on my home course. I play a 6-iron off the tee up the left side and let it bounce back to the middle of the fairway. Wind can dictate a 5-iron if I want just a bit less left for a second shot. I have found that being a few yards back is better than playing off a bad lie or trying to bite too much off. For me, there is no money in playing close to the trouble. Option two is to go over the trouble and risk hitting three from the tee. On my course, trouble is all around the green left, right, 60 yards short, and 40 yards long. So, sometimes a 3-wood short of the green is wiser than a driver. But 6-iron is still the play most times.

Anyone who shoots 140 every time out must have goals that do not include lowering score. Sometimes I find myself playing "golf shot" instead of golf. When score is the goal, most anyone should be able to break 130. Try not to impose your goals on him.

Following the ball when playing alone is often hard regardless of the color. I hit a lot of shots that I have no idea where there went. Could be straight down the middle or could be somewhere else. To find the ball, I like yellow. Avoids confusion and is easiest on my mostly treeless course. If you really are playing alone and having a hard time following your 300 yard drives, try hitting an iron so you can follow and find the ball easier.

This is one of the awesome reasons I switched to yellow balls with lots of personal marks. My ball may be stollen but never mistaken as yours. Years ago, I watched a guy drive his cart from his fairway, into the middle of my fairway, and play my ball. I was playing a TaylorMade when they were very rare -- first year out. "Oh, I thought it was a Titleist." Never again. I guess someone could say, "Oh. I thought I hit it so hard that it turned yellow."

I changed to AeroTech composite from PX 5.0. The composite AreoTechs feel like graphite. I changed when I got tennis elbow. Love the shafts. They allowed me to practice without pain or fear of injury. Now that I'm mostly better, I still really like them. At 95 grams, they are lighter than the steal I was playing (PX 5.0 is lighter than many shafts at 115). I really like the feel of my irons with 95 gram shafts. I do not think I have lost the "feel of the clubhead" even though my swing weight dropped a few points. I have maintained the distance control that had me switch to MP-53 heads from the longer and more forgiving (but slightly less distant-consistent) JPX 800 Pros. To the OP: these higher end graphite and composite shafts are a bit pricy and worth looking at for their weight/torque benefits. There are many good options available. Just in the AeroTechs you can choose a weight from 125 down to 70. If you are looking to drop shaft weight under 100 grams, look to graphite for great options. If you are not going to get fitted (I did not because my injury made my swing irrelevant), I attached a link to their chart for shaft selection based on driver swing speeds. Better than nothing. I went with i95 stiff soft stepped once. This board and others suggest that they play "stiff to flex" meaning they feel stiffer than rated. Soft stepping makes me feel a bit better knowing that I'm not playing the same weight and flex as two top tour pros who both play i95 stiff. http://www.aerotechgolfshafts.com/steelfiber_irons_sp.php In my uneducated opinion, I think weight is the most import selection criteria for iron shafts. More than material, flex, torque, flex profile... I may be wrong, but I know that I notice weight more than any of those other factors. I believe this is particularly true as you get into shorter irons. I challenge anyone north of a 5 handicap to tell the difference between a stiff and regular flex shaft in an 8-iron.

How often should one evaluate their grip? VERY VERY often. Should you think about it on every shot? You shouldn't think about anything in an ideal world. If you get to the point where you can put your hands on the club correctly every time without thinking too much about it, you will be a long way to being more consistent. Even the best players get "grip creep" where they let their perfect grip slip into bad habits. 1. Know what your perfect grip looks like and feels like. 2. Make it a habit. 3. Review often to make shure your grip is still perfect.

I should add that our Saturday game is cart against cart. Not much money is on the line but it very competitive and a team deal -- low ball and low total. So, there is plenty of unsolicited advise about strategy with partners. There is lots of encouraging safe play and using your head. Or, go for it since... No one has any issue with those suggestions since "those are my quarters your playing with buddy."

My Saturday group has four guys with four very different swings. But, mostly we know what we are are trying to do. Doug may not make the turn he does when he hits the ball well. Bill gets a fast transition. Jerry gets fast and dances. I over swing and also have a too-fast transition. So, we can offer a little help to each other if needed or wanted. "You want an observation?" If yes, then, "You seem a little faster than when you are hitting it well." But, we've played together for years. You got to be a pretty good friend for me to ask if you want my observations. Now, if you ask first...

I have none but have witnessed nine. I guess I'm good luck. :)

Yes because even our "match play" turns out to be stroke play because most players hole out even when the hole has been decided. Stroke play in US is slower than true match play played in GB. As the article suggests, when we start asking "How was your match?" instead of "What did you shoot?" we will be on our way.

Expensive balls? No. Lots of good ball choices under $20/dz. A few under $15. New balls? Yes. You never really know how old balls will play. I know others here disagree. Same ball? Yes. Plenty of discussion in other threads about this. Which ball? One that feels good to you ON THE GREEN. As a beginner, you have a chance at becoming consistent on the green before you'll be consistent on the tee.

Just one of the many advantages to living with the curse of a marketer's core.

I'd post the second nine and write the front off as practice without the intent to post a score. See you in hell.

As a marketing guy, I'd say your view is a bit simplistic. (But as a marketing guy I don't think lying is at my core. But maybe delusional is at my core too so really I am delusional and don't know what is at my core.) Golf Channel has a vested (goal of the firm is maximize shareholder value) interest in its own brand. And, while I am not their brand advisor, I'd guess their brand relies in large part on being a trusted expect in the world of golf. Running ads for illegal products without disclosing that they are illegal ("Not legal for USGA play"), is an error in brand management. Sure, some late night cable channel running "Brady Bunch" re-runs could care little about who advertises. Not so simple with a specialty channel that relies on being perceived as an expect and trusted source.

Yellow ball. Alignment line with perp line through the middle. Underline numbers. Smiley face under ball type name (e.g. "Z-Star). Use either red or black sharpie and carry a different number ball as provisional (so if hitting a "1" my provisional can be any number except "1." If you accidentally hit my ball, you are swinging with your eyes closed.

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Good luck with the new and improved attitude.

It is about commitment. Unlearning old ways is hard for us guys over 40. I gave myself over completely to changing my game over ten years ago. So, I was 41 instead of 54. At first it was awful. I stayed committed even though I knew I would play worse before I played better (and that is saying a lot because I was very bad). I knew things would feel "alien" and results would be bad for at least 60 days. I still recall playing in a charity event that was scheduled right after amy return from golf school and having my playing partners beg me to go back to my old swing for the sack of the team. But, I'd played for almost 30 years and was not getting any better. I could shoot 89 one morning and then 109 that afternoon. I had days when I wasn't sure I'd get the ball in the air and I had no idea what was happening. I actually pared a 380 yard hole once and my ball never got more than 10 inches off the ground. Change was going to be hard but it was either change or quit. When I changed, I did not bounce around from one swing concept to another. I found I one I could believe in and stuck with it. After about one season, I found instructors who taught the pure form of the swing I wanted and have stuck with them. And sure, I got a lot better. From a 18.0 index to a low of 6.1 last year. More importantly for my enjoyment, my worst rounds are few and far between and near 90 -- not 110. I believe that consistent commitment to my swing is the key. More than the type of swing is the ten years of trying to do the same thing. I suggest you find an instructor and/or method that you are excited to stick with for a long time -- all in. And then go for it. Get worse for a while. What is the worst thing that will happen? You may lose a lot of golf balls. Find someone as good as my guys or Eric. And then become 100% committed.

Play without the club until you either quit the game or learn to control you temper. A bent shaft will need to be replaced. But maybe you can carry that club as your tossing club. I used to carry one club that I used to hit when my ball was in the desert. You can have one club for anytime you feel the need to behave like a three year old.

Weather can be bad almost anywhere. But odds are better in AZ that you will avoid rain (played there years ago on a weekend that recorded the first time in 100 years that Pinical Peak had rain for three days in a row.) Downside of AZ in winter is the prices. For winter, I like Orlando for value. If you have a group -- even a small one -- there are great values on home rentals and lots of good golf. M. Beach is great if you can wait until March or even April. Prices are higher than other times but still a great value.

Hello all, I have been slowly getting better at this game, and with this have my moments of utter rage!!! I'm a placid gentle guy, but competitive with myself.. I am in need of help/advice in order to curb this behaviour.. I get frustrated when having a couple of good holes then following it up with a couple of poor ones, over last month have broken driver, 5 wood , buggy and dinted another club or two... I am so desperate to improve , and understand that it is a long process.. Anyway any ideas on how to handle this appreciated, as I can't afford to keep replacing clubs

I also have JPX Pro's. How do the EZ compare? I'm not getting any younger either. :)

What the heck are you playing a 1-man scramble for anyway? Is it an attempt for your club to slow pace of play to the point where it looks like it going backwards? What part of IT IS A SCRAMBLE don't you get. Take it for the serious round it is. Which is not. Too bad you didn't have 2 feet of string. You'd have made an eagle.

Please compare to your othe Mizuno sets. As a 5.0are you really playing to play these? I'm very interested in your comparisons. I'm a few years away from replacing my MP-53's -- once I wear them out.