tjy355

We-Ko-Pa Saguaro Course - Arizona (Coore & Crenshaw - 2006) (2009 GolfWeek 100 Modern #67) $45 (summer resident rate) Rustic Canyon - Moorpark CA (Hanse - 2002) (2008 Golf Mag Top 100 "You Can Play" #83) $40

Of the many voices in my head, a caddie is not one of them...

Take it to someone who knows what they are doing.

Foursomes is explained. Fourball is explained. That just leaves Sunday's format which is "singles" matches. (one on one)

Say what ??

Red stakes indicates a lateral hazard and you do not have to find the ball to take the drop. You do have to be certain the ball entered the hazard. You may play from within a hazard unless there is a local rule prohibiting it (i.e. the increasingly popular "environmentally sensitive area") The marking of areas where lost balls are common, but are not technically water hazards (thick woods, brush or desert areas) is usually done to speed play, but is fundamentally contrary to the rules of golf.

Did you know that even if you pick up, you can still post the score. In fact, if you carry a handicap, you MUST post these scores. Check the manual section 5. http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Handi...anual/Rule-05/

What game are you playing where "most of the time" the situation does not call for playing the ball down? Learn to accept the course as you find it and play the ball as it lies. It will make you a better golfer.

Rule 19 covers a "ball in motion" stopped or deflected. Rule 18 however, stipulates that a "ball at rest" moved by an outside agency must be replaced. In this situation, I have no idea the ruling.

I watched the preview show. What a dork farm.

If anyone wants to check out playing on a dormant bermuda surface, Southern Dunes in Maricopa will not overseed this year. Last winter they were playing on overseeded tees and fairways, but not the greens. They kept the greens moist so they were receptive and rolled daily. Talk about a smooth, true and VERY FAST putting surface. Wow, lots of fun. The bermuda used at Southern Dunes is a hybrid that has a shorter dormant period than common bermuda. Actually should stay somewhat green unless they get a hard freeze.

It has to do mostly with presenting a VERDANT GREEN golf course to the winter tourists who come to spend money. As well, residents have come to expect it and these days you will find very few courses in the greater Phoenix area that don't overseed. It wasn't always so, and there are some exceptions. Because of the summer temperature extremes, the grass that can be used most effectively in the the desert climate is Bermuda grass. Great playing surface from mid March to the end of October. When the overnight temps drop in the late fall, bermuda goes dormant - stops growing and the blades of grass gradually turn brown. Phoenix does get overnite frost and a few hard freezes during a typical winter. The first frost takes care of any remaining green bermuda. The root system is still alive however and by early spring, new growth appears. With warm weather and a little water, turf that looks totally dead will turn green in a few weeks time. Now dormant bermuda makes a perfectly playable, firm, fast and FUN golf surface as long as it is not left to totally bake dry. The main problem with dormant bermuda is the greens. With the concentrated foot traffic, spikes, etc., a dormant bermuda green gets chopped up pretty quickly. Solution: Scalp the Bermuda surface and apply ryegrass seed. After a 3-4 week grow-in, the rye can be cut down and now an acceptable (and green) putting surface for the winter. At the same time, most courses also applied the rye overseed to the tees. When I first moved to Phoenix in 1978, there were a handful of courses that went totally dormant, but most at the time were overseeding tees and greens. Gradually, the concept spread to completely overseeding the course including fairways and roughs. The upscale courses with large budgets could present a totally green golf course to attract tourists and to be competetive, most courses had to follow. Nowdays, the golfing public doesn't want to play on "dead" grass, they want GREEN. Which presents several problems, mostly from a quality of golf perspective but also from a turfgrass maintenance standpoint. It is very expensive to overseed not just the seed but the labor and water needed for grow-in. (and the green fees reflect it!) Obviously, there is an interruption in play during the grow-in. Most courses close 2-3 weeks, but it is rare green ready to play three weeks from seed. Slow and shaggy conditions greet players in most cases. Four weeks and on, they can lower the blades and start to get better green surfaces. Some are more tolerant, but I think it takes fully 8 weeks or more to attain a decent putting surface after overseed. Left on its own, Bermuda stays pretty green and quite playable into November. Most of the hybrid bermuda used on golf courses today are a lot more cold tolerant than the old fashion common bermuda. And in early March it is perfectly green again. Which introduces another problem with overseeding is that it has to be timed properly to achieve a good grow-in. If you wait until the bermuda really starts to go dormant, it is then too cold to get a good germination with the rye. So they start the overseed earlier, Late September, just when the bermuda is looking its best coming out of the summer, it gets scalped down and the rye overseed begins. Starting too soon has its issues as well, if it is too warm, the rye competes with the bermuda and doesn't thrive immediately. THEN... in the spring, another transition that creates less than perfect golf conditions. While the bermuda starts greening up in March, the rye is not ready to give it up until May or so. On its own, the bermuda would be thriving by May, but instead the bermuda growth is suppressed and the rye stays green until the hot weather arrives, then suddenly dies off leaving the bermuda to try to catch up in the hottest, driest part of the year. This usually creates spotty conditions for the first month or so of summer as superintendents struggle with bare spots. The other issue with overseeding, the grow-in takes a tremendous amount of water and even after, rye needs a lot more water than bermuda to look its best. So from the fall reopening thru December you can generally count on very wet conditions and cart path only. Even through the tourist season to the end of March, many courses just keep it way wetter that it needs to be. Unfortunately, this creates a rather one-dimensional playing condition that favors a strictly aerial game. Fly the ball to the fairway... splat! Fly the ball to the green... splat. No way to experience or enjoy the contours of the course and use a variety of shots. I'm editorializing of course, but I think the desire for lush green conditions results in a game that is a little less fun. Finally, the long term health of the bermuda base turf suffers from repeated overseeding which tends to deplete the soil of natural nutrients over time. It is said that most courses would benefit by skipping the overseed every few years. ADDENDUM: There are courses in the Phoenix area that maintain bent grass greens. This surface stay playable in the winter and does not need to be overseeded. Why then, don't all courses in Phoenix have bent greens? A whole new set of problems keeping the bent healthy in the summer is the main reason. A slew of upscale daily fee courses opened in the late 80's early 90's with bent. All but a few have switched to bermuda. Bent is mostly successful in the foothill areas with a bit more elevation and slightly cooler temperatures than the Phoenix valley. Also some privates with less play and higher maintenance budgets have been successful with keeping bent greens. Geez, sorry I wrote a book! Hope this helps.

Undoubtably, demand is down in this economy and tee times are always available somewhere. If your group is more than a foursome, I wouldn't be waiting until the morning-of, and weekends are busier naturally. As far as the resort, I would line something up asap, and understand (and make use of) the cancellation policy (usually 24-48 hrs) in case something else comes up. First wave of snowbirds come just after Thanksgiving or earlier if it gets cold early, but the main influx is after Christmas. The snowbird population mainly stays with the value golf options. (not Gold Canyon...).

If I were just starting out, (in fact, I would do this even though I'm not just starting out!!), I would pass on the current model in favor of last year's model for $100-$150 less. It's really silly how short the price point "life cycle" for a Taylor Made driver is. Good stuff available for $200. Use the difference for lessons.

I live in the Phoenix metro area so I can tell you what to expect. Tees and fairways - no problems (other than they will be very wet and typically cart path only); it is the greens that make or break the experience. In my opinion, It really takes 8 weeks before you can be fairly guaranteed a good putting surface on which you wouldn't be thinking "they recently overseeded this green." The period between 4 and 8 weeks are the "gray area" and depend on the course and the weather. It can be really hard to predict what you might encounter during this time. I have played courses after 4 weeks and the greens were great (maybe a little slow) and I have played courses after 6 weeks that were horrible. Before 4 weeks, the greens will not be cut to normal height. The less grow-in time the longer the grass will be. Courses will typically reopen and allow play on very shaggy and slow putting surfaces. (And from my experience, they won't always tell you about it.) At four weeks, you should have a fair to good chance of having decent putting surfaces. They certainly won't be rolling like they will by the end of December but should not be disappointing. Most depends on the weather and how much seed they use. If it stays too warm or gets too cold during the germination period, then it takes longer to get a good grow-in. If we get a heavy rain within the first couple of weeks, that REALLY screws things up. Looks like the Sidewinder was overseeded first so it should be fine. It is the weaker course though, Dinosaur is the much more interesting play. Outrageous views of the Superstition Mountains. Playing tip: KEEP THE BALL BELOW THE HOLE ON #3 !! Here is another tip, if you are looking to play other courses nearby, Superstition Mountain, the Lyle Anderson developed, Jack Nicklaus designed 36-hole PRIVATE golf community is in receivership and they are now allowing outside play. Tee times available on Golfnow.com. Literally around the corner from Gold Canyon. Enjoy your visit and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Rule 25-3 You must take relief (without penalty), 1 clublength from the nearest point no closer. Rules can be found here: http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules...and-Decisions/

Just be aware, you will be playing on overseeded rye with barely 3 weeks of growth. Don't know what they are charging you, but the greens will likely be not ideal (shaggy and slow) and the rest of the course very wet.

Ping G10...

You guys have totally gone off topic. The question is why is a clubhead with a thicker top line more forgiving. Thick top line is a result of the perimeter weighted design. And it is not just the top line, the entire perimeter of the club head is thicker. Perimeter weighting increases the size of the sweet spot and helps with shots not hit perfectly on the center of the clubface. Whether it inspires confidence is entirely subjective and a matter of personal taste.

Amateur is 36 hole medal play-in then you have to win 6 matches including a 36-hole final. That's pretty grueling.

This way is more common with a group of people (more than one foursome) and usually the skin pot is split evenly (no "carryovers" are considered). But you can really do it anyway you want.

You say they are too long, but did a fitter tell you that? Because many times the solution might be a flatter lie rather that a shorter shaft. If that is the case, you just get them bent, no muss, no fuss (and less expensive). Only a fitter can determine that. It would be a mistake to just cut down the shaft.

The way we usually play 4 man skins is 'two tie - all tie.' In other words, if no outright winner, the skin carries over to the next hole.

Hard to believe... Well, that's not hard to believe... Florida and all... lol! Maybe a call or email to the Florida State Golf Association could get a list of public courses in your area that have men's clubs. http://www.fsga.org/ good luck!

The tour versions are pured and frequency matched.