AndrewM

that would be my point lol

Some added links for everyone's enjoyment: http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow...Linear_5x5.htm (LONG READ but well worth it) http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...8/ai_n19187613 http://www.exrx.net/Lists/PowerExercises.html (all the links on the left, the olympic work)

For future reference, they are wrong. Other than the absolute extreme, the bigger and stronger you are the better you will perform. Funny how the human body has limits... Just because you powerlift, doesnt mean you will end up as an overweight, 300+ lb monster. You may just end up as a better, faster, stronger version of yourself. I ONLY do powerlifting work: Pendlay Rows Bench OHP Squats Deadlifts and sometimes speed work like snatches and cleans. I can roll out of the bed, hung over with 2 hours of sleep and put both my palms on the floor with straight legs. Im 5'7 and weigh just a shade under 200lbs. I believe it was Flex Wheeler that used to do splits as part of his posing routine in the Olympia You think an Olympic Pole Vaulter or long jumper does sets of 50 "Pec Flyes" so he can "feel the burn" and not get "too big"... I dont think so. What about a gymnast? Dont believe everything a coach tells you... Unfortunately even at that high of a level, when it comes to crossing disciplines they usually dont know as much as they think they do.

Im not sure about the launch monitor you were using... but 280+ yards with a swing speed of 110 sounds pretty far off to me. At 110mph you really shouldnt be carrying it anywhere near 280 yards. In reality you need a swing speed of circa 122mph to carry it that far. Optimistic monitor maybe? That being said, loft is meaningless, what matters is How you launch the ball. If you launch it properly and achieve optimum with 8* then go for it... if you need 12* then do that... the number on the club doesnt matter.

I have also heard good stories about Phil. My boss was at the (Scottish Open I think) the tournament where Phil lost in the playoff. Anyway, he said phil had stayed for hours after he finished signing autographs.

good choice... gap wedge is very important IMO. I carry my PW, a gap wedge of 51* and a 56*

I have to say I prefer CBS golf coverage, hands down, every day I can see it. I dont care for most of the NBC staff and I especially dislike Johnny Miller. He doesnt "call it as he sees it" he's simply a dickhead. I like the banter on CBS. I like that they are honest about how well or how poorly a pro hit a shot... I however do not like Peter Kostis analyzing the same players' swings over and over again... and I disagree with his plane line over the top of the players' shoulders... with the line that steep its easy to bring it from the inside

IMO I would stay with the x20 wedge... or get an x20 pro series wedge. The difference in your club vs those vokeys when you are making full swings from the fairway will be HUGE. In addition, because of the design of the wedge and shaft, you will (probably) lose distance with a different wedge. If you are still sold on "upgrading" make sure the clubs are the same length and check the loft of your current wedge and have the vokey bent to match. Or leave it as it is and adjust accordingly.

On the subject... With a foursome whose average income is 150K each... a couple bucks tip would be reasonable.. I dont care if she is making $15 an hour... if making that kind of dough you cant part with an extra buck, something is amiss in the world. On tipping in general... I went out to dinner once with my g/f and her parents... Her dad had a $100 gift certificate, he was doing some consulting for the company and part of it was eating at the place we were at. Our bill was about $105 or so... he left ONE DOLLAR as a tip... ONE DOLLAR. I actually walked everyone out, said our good byes etc... then walked straight back in and gave the waitress $20. She was one of the most knowledgeable, prompt and professional waitresses I had ever encountered.

So Im watching my TIVO'ed US AM... Vegas just took relief from a sprinkler head... While taking relief, he picked the ball up, took it into his palm, put it in his pocket, Then threw it to his caddy to clean.... Am I incorrect in believing when taking unpenalized relief, that he is not allowed to lift and clean the ball... He MUST keep the ball in its original condition as he was not taking a penalty stroke and they were not under a lift, clean and place rule.

I think that as a player gets better, he/she realizes that you dont have to play blades to prove you know how to play. Often times amateurs play blades just because they *think* they can, not because they actually offer some benefit. Regardless of the money factor, IMO very few pros play true blades anymore. When millions of dollars are on the line, why not add a bit of forgiveness to your game? Why penalize every single mishit. Walk down the line at a high level amateur/open event (like a US Am qualifier or a US Open qualifier) and notice the amount of blades being played... then go to a pro tournament and note how many sets of Non-blades are being played. For some reason amateurs feel the need to prove how good they are with the clubs they buy. Pros dont need to do that so they use what works best (notwithstanding a few notable exceptions mentioned here). It goes the same for a guy buying an 8* driver with a tour stiff shaft because once every 150 drives he hits one 300 yards. Pros are past the point of proving themselves with equipment. I bring all this up here in this post, because I think mizuno and titleist have the market wrapped on amateurs playing their blades and players clubs purely to make themselves look better. Not because of any performance advantage perceived or otherwise.

well whatever you're doing it must be right, you hit 300 yard+ 3 woods... oh and you have the flexibility and balance and build and strength of Tiger Woods, so I dont see how keeping your arm straight would be an issue.

yes, you should have been (just saying yes wasnt enough characters for a response lol)

Nothing takes the place of fundamentals, nothing. You will never see a 30+ handicapper on the range with Tiger-esque posture. Solid fundamentals build the foundation for a good swing. It is possible to play good golf with poor fundamentals but it is always always easier and allows for faster improvement if you are in good shape before you make a swing. Grip Stance Posture Ball Position You get those four down and you are in better shape than most.

That is interesting... Most everyone I know hits the ball farther on the course than on the range. Even at the decent places here in Orlando, most of the range balls are consistently 5-10 yards short on an average iron shot and that or a bit more on a driver. I use the range to practice technique and direction, never for distance control. Nothing replaces using the same balls in the same conditions you will face on the course to determine your actual distances with each club. Doing with with Top Flite Range balls doesnt cut the mustard

Not "how old is she?" He said does she play golf... You better be under 16

That may be true of the specs of the club Now... but I have a newer rescue mid and an oooold rescue mid (like the VERY first production run of the new black/silver style) and that darn thing has a closed face. It looks substantially more shut than my newer one, and by golly I hook the crap out of it if Im not careful, I dont ever hook the newer one unless I do something horrible... (same shaft as well btw)

Not to pick on you but just to make a point. As relayed to me by the Trackman Rep on the PGA Tour. (trackman is a launch monitor that actually measures the flight of the ball by radar, not by an algorithm of the spin within the first few inches of flight.) A pure 7 iron carry distance of 170 yards equates to a driver carry of approximately 265 yards. A carry of 265 yards puts you squarely in the middle of the PGA Tour driving distance stats (top 60 or so). For those that are considering their roll out yardage, that number is meaningless. the ONLY thing that matters is carry. Roll is transient based on the course conditions, ball flight, shot shape etc, but carry is something you can rely on. Oh and as an aside... the carry number of 265 I mentioned, into a 10mph or so head wind, was approx 235 yards of carry with a driver. To anyone that REALLY wants to know how far they hit it, take a buddy and a laser range finder... put your buddy in the center of a BIG fairway 250 yards out... and see how many balls you carry to him, I would have to guess for nearly every person on this board that number would be very close to zero even for those that think they hit the ball 300 yards.

I tried to slip that in... pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...

No, you said Tiger "might have been the best player" Tiger IS the best player. By any measure there is EXCEPT if he doesnt win this entirely contrived "playoff" series of events. EVERY single other sport has a history and tradition of playoffs that we know and enjoy today. Golf has the four majors, Vardon Trophy, PGA Player of the Year, World Ranking etc... THOSE are the measuring sticks for the PGA Tour and inventing some new system based ENTIRELY on ratings and money doesnt change that... I cant believe you are suggesting anything else... maybe I'm just reading your posts incorrectly, I have to be, that is the only way to explain what you are writing.

So if Tiger doesnt win some convoluted prize created by corporate America and the Tour in favor of ratings and money, he wouldnt be the best player on Tour? PAALEASE. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard someone say OR type IN MY LIFE. Comparing the Stanley Cup with history and tradition dating to 1892 to the Fed Ex Cup with history (money) and tradition dating back oh, a YEAR is preposterous. I sincerely hope you were joking. Btw, whoever wins the Tour Championship doesnt really matter either, or any other singular tournament. The measuring stick for the best player on tour each year would either be the World Ranking or The Vardon Trophy. IMO the Vardon trophy is the thing that most signifies the best player. Even if the winner never won a tournament, the person who has the lowest average score out of every single other player on Tour, to me, is the best.

This "playoff" thing seems so foolish to me, there is some convoluted point system to get a "place" in the playoffs then you get another set of points, also convoluted when you are "in" the playoffs. The whole point of playoffs in EVERY other sport that I can think of, is that EVERY team has a chance to win. The very lowest seed at Wimbeldon can win, the team with the worst record can win everywhere... Except here. There is literally NO way that the last place player can win the Fed Ex Cup. Further more, because of the nature of golf, no one eliminates another player directly. You want real playoffs?? Make it match play. The problem with that is, no one would ever agree to that. Oh and the other reason is we already have a large scale match play event. If I am mistaken please correct me, but that is how the whole system occurs to me. Way too complicated, with no real point. The only thing that matters is that it is some insane amount of money, but name one player that would rather win the "Fed Ex Cup" instead of the Masters or the US Open, etc etc

In the last 14 months or so I have gotten back into lifting based around a power lifting type routine, squats, rows, benching, deadlifts, with some ancillary lower back/bis/tris work. That routine has made a huge difference in the way i hit the ball. I dont necessarily hit my irons a lot farther, but its easier to hit them the distance I do, in addition to having a lot more "in reserve" so to speak. Also just the overall way i hit the ball is better, a more powerful strike i guess. I have picked up distance with the driver for sure though, I always had trouble hitting my driver a commensurate distance as my irons and that has improved quite a bit. I am also probably more flexible than I ever was as I always stretch before I lift and its important to me to keep flexible. Adding muscle mass will never decrease flexibility unless you never stretch.

I just read the article on the home page of this site regarding the slow play of the LPGA at St Andrews... I was a bit miffed that ABC only showed a few hours of the tournament (which I missed anyway) but now, I'm not so upset... I probably would have been so annoyed I would have changed it anyway. I made another comment about this regarding the US Open and some of the completely unacceptable slow play shown there. Any other opinions out there??? Is it not embarrassing for these girls to be on TV looking completely foolish by taking several minutes to make a club selection AFTER their playing competitors have already hit??

For future reference, Arnold's heart issue was congenital, specifically not lifestyle or diet related.