AndrewM

that sounds VERY expensive... I would double check that... that price may be for a putter (usually more expensive). $6 per club for a simple loft/degree change is more than i have ever heard of anyone charging anywhere in the country.

wrist hinge... sonic blue's advice was good... except i dont try to swing super flat, i always want to stay on plane, i just change wrist hinge... i am VERY Good at flighting the golf ball.... its an important thing to learn too... when you want the ball to go low, chances are, popping it up would be a Very bad shot. So learning how to change flight can be a big benefit.

I would suggest "pre-playing" the round on paper before you meet with the pro... Sit down and seriously evaluate how you want to play, considering all aspects of course management... Do it as well as you can. By doing this, you will be able to discuss with the pro how you attack the course, and then the pro can offer the best advice possible... If you dont think about any of that stuff before hand, during the lesson you may find him repeating a lot of stuff you already know. This way, you can short circuit that and get right to the stuff you may be missing. In addition, you will benefit most if you play the way you play.... if you want to grab a 5 iron, grab a 5 iron... or at least be honest that you would want ot grab that club... even if you should be using a strong rescue. This way, the pro can best evaluate your course management and club selection. Playing lessons arent cheap but they can provide a lot of benefit, as long as you put the work in before hand and are honest about your playing and your mental attitude.

I guess sounding intelligent and knowing what you want to say sounds "contrived" or "fake".... Maybe we as a country, are too used to our president not being able to pronounce the names of countries we want to invade? Or stumbling over his own words like an 8th grader giving a science fair presentation.... Intelligence doesnt make you fake... it makes you..... *gasp* ... intelligent. As for Appleby's issue with the Pro-Am, that is the Tour's fault, not Phil's... think it would have been any different for Tiger??

He's not THAT bad guys... I mean you cant simply kick people out of your sand box (so to speak hehe) just because he says he has a bigger Tonka truck at home than you do.... Ignore him, laugh at him, point and stare, but no need to ban.... its not like he is doing anything malicious. He has his amusing moments... sometimes like his "How I play the game" post could do everyone some good... sit back and look at how simple the game really is and it may just help you play better :)

it can be hard to even get 2* out of a cast club... the guy doing it should be able to tell you what the max is. Also remember if you strengthen the loft, the bounce will decrease and vice versa.

I use an Explanar almost daily

Ritz- I caddied there for a few months, decent course. VERY expensive green fees plus the tip for the forecaddie. OCN- Blah... Just played them both (Panther and Crooked) for the first time in quite a while. Didnt like Crooked Cat at all, but enjoyed Panther Lake. Grande Pines- Never played there. Falcon's Fire- Terrible service and not a great course for the money... too expensive, too easy, bad greens

26, started playing around 10 or so. Came to FL in 2002 after college to bang it around in some minitour events.. didnt have much success so I started working. Didnt play much from 04 to may of this year... lots of things seemed to have changed since then and i hit the ball a lot different than i used to (much better)... may give some tour events a go next year, just need to get rid of a few loose shots per round. Not playing for 3+ years was good but only 90 days into playing again there is much to be remembered! On the plus side ive already put one round under par up, and i played yesterday and hit 7 greens on the front and 8 on the back... putter needs work though, lag putting sucks!!

I would be cautious of reshafting that with anything "high launch" The club is designed to send the ball high with lots of spin anyway... to add to that with the shaft could really limit how you are able to hit that club in the future... especially into the wind... Launching too high with too much spin and all of a sudden into a 5mph headwind the club hits it the same distance as your 9 iron A buddy of mine has that issue with his hybrid, he is near a scratch player but he puts a ton of spin on the ball and with his hybrid, he routinely hits it much shorter than he should because without a perfect strike it just ends up ballooning.

Shoot me a PM or email me at neworderofman@yahoo.com Ill give you a free lesson while you're here.

I think you might be right...

So you have never played before and hit 8 greens in regulation? You cant honestly expect anyone to believe you... Do you?

That is a great statement on how Americans expect to live...make more money, SPEND MORE!! make a little more, spend a lot more... If you dont have money left over at the end of the month making 150K, you are over extended... Kind of a sad statement I think...considering that 90% of americans make far less than that and they still have bills, kids and mortgages. Bigger paycheck= bigger toys... but you lose the right to complain about not having enough left over.

Im in Orlando and my picks: ChampionsGate (used to work there, GREAT tracks, even better service) MetroWest Southern Dunes The disney courses are ok, but SO expensive compared to other places. I think MetroWest is one of the best tracks in the area and usually has the most consistent greens. I play out of MetroWest and I do demonstrations there as well. Shingle Creek is also a great track. I have a range membership there.

I fade the ball almost exclusively with my driver, but I can draw it if I really need to (wind benefit, working around trouble, dogleg etc) With my irons my miss is right, but typically I just hit it straight... Very very rarely will I miss an iron shot left.

Then I think you should be giving some of your money to me, just because. According to the US census, only the top 5% of all HOUSEHOLDS in the US made over 167K. If you dont think one person making over 150K is a lot, then you watch too much Fox News.

Damn... a lot of you all need to EAT... I guess there are some high schoolers on the board though... when I graduated i was about 125 lbs at 5'7... I still feel small at just under 200lbs :(

I agree with what you said... I was saying they are wrong because they are telling their athletes lifting heavy is bad for them. That is wrong and untrue. If they did exactly what they are doing now, the same "core" work and balance training BUT included some olympic lifts, I can 110% guarantee they would have better athletes. And speaking of balance work... go to the gym tonight, get a 1 week pass and try to do a few sets of the following: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...anAndJerk.html http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...PushPress.html http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...SplitJerk.html http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...fts/Clean.html come back and tell me how hard it is to balance while doing those

Yah... what he said :) I guess that is what I get more... riled about, people thinking lifting heavy weights is bad for them. They get caught up in this mentality that throwing around the heaviest weights you can handle and actually Getting Stronger, is somehow bad for them. Perpetuated by Golf Digest, Golf, Katherine Roberts et al, suggesting that doing 50 reps with 5lb dumbells is somehow "better".... I guess its better than a night of 10 reps doing the 12oz curl... but to someone that REALLY wants to make an improvement... serious core work (rows, squats, deads etc) are going to do a LOT more for you than the other stuff. At a shade under 200lbs... I can do 15 beltless, ATF squats with 225... you show me the medicine ball throwing, gel standing, wrist curler that has the core strength I do.

Dude, I think I hear a big steak calling your name...

BTW, There is a reason that is what you read... because the people writing those articles have ZERO experience, either factual or theoretical with Olympic lifting and increasing strength while still meeting weight. That is my whole point, you cant honestly tell me the guy doing "core work" is stronger at the same weight, than his counterpart who is an olympic lifter... remember SAME WEIGHT. That debunks the whole myth in one statement :) I know I come off a little strong sometimes, but people just herd around like little sheep without actually Questioning what people are saying... they just assume that because it was in Golf Digest it HAS to be right. Just sit back and ponder my second paragraph for a second and ask yourself how being stronger (a lot) than you are now, and leaner, but at the Same weight, could possibly be bad for your golf game?

I didnt say that... I said "they are wrong" Because he said " if you bulk up too much you become stiff and lose flexibility, which is one of the most important things in the golf swing" He then implied his coaches had told him that.. They are wrong. Im not saying that lifting like a powerlifter will work for everyone, BUT it isnt like lifting heavy weights will magically make you gain 100lbs of muscle overnight. People seem to think if you go to the gym and work out heavy you will just "get huge" overnight. It just doesnt work that way. You may work out for 5 years and not gain 20lbs. But I can absolutely guarantee that the core strength you gain from "ass to the floor" squatting 315, will be a lot better than tossing a 5lb medicine ball around while standing on some gel pads. Bulk does not equal lost flexibility. It just doesnt work that way, period. All you have to do to maintain flexibility is stretch, simple as that. Of course I would agree that there is an effective limit. Doing complete bulking/cutting cycles to pack on as much mass as you can doesnt make sense. But diet addresses all of those concerns. Adding strength will ALWAYS help your golf game, and getting stronger doesnt mean adding lots of pounds of fat (or muscle either necessarily). my whole point is that all the sissy, half ass "core work" takes a lot more time and is *maybe* 70% as effective as real lifting. Its better than nothing, no doubt about that! But to shy away from a more advanced program if you can handle it, so you dont "bulk up too much" is a joke.

IMO "hating" a club because you dont like the random, mass produced, stock shaft they come with doesnt make much sense... one word: Reshaft

on the distance tip... im sorry to say, but two forged irons with the same loft and same shaft will not magically hit the ball different distances... so that point is moot. The ONLY difference you MAY see between similarly designed "players clubs" would be spin and launch angle. If you are good enough for a degree of launch and 500rpms to make a difference, it would be best to hit them both under the same conditions with the same shaft and hitting the same ball to best evaluate. If not, then pick the one that looks the best to you :)