lville lefty

Appreciate all of the replies to this post. Loved the reply by Turtleback with the original rules. I had never seen them before. It appears the majority of the responses are in support of the OB rule as it stands. I have no issue with the rule other than to ask, what rule, if any, would you change in an effort to improve pace of play? Or maybe you think improving pace of play should never compromise or be an impetus to change the rules of golf.

Why is the penalty for hitting your ball out-of-bounds (stroke and distance) more severe than the penalty for hitting your ball into a lateral hazard (one-stroke penalty)? At my home course, #8 is marked white down the right side and red down the left side. I fully understand the rules and the difference between white and red stakes. The land to the right side of this hole is not owned by the golf course. My question is posed to help gain an understanding of why the rules were written to penalize the out-of-bounds ball to the right side more severely than the lateral hazard ball to the left in this example. It would certainly speed play and make the game a little more enjoyable if the rules were amended to allow amateur golfers to take a drop at the point of entry (or should I say exit) on a ball hit out-of-bounds with a one-shot penalty rather than stroke and distance which is essentially a two-shot penalty. No expectation this post will cause a rules change but any thoughts on why the difference in red versus white are appreciated.

Anyone know what the format will be? If they create some type of Ryder Cup format it may be of interest. If it is just another stroke play or basic match play I don't think it will be very compelling.

Stats from the USGA. About 5 million golfers have a GHIN handicap which is only around 20% of all golfers.

Checkout this article featuring our latest promotion. 4HeadWear Offering Free Hat in Exchange for Photos

One more rule or truism to add if I may; If your ball retriever is in need of a new grip you are definitely an idiot.

Destin has tons of very good golf courses. There are two courses right where you are staying that are fun to play and not too difficult - Seascape and San Destin Links. Indian Bayou is easy to get on and fun to play. If you are looking for more upscale and more challenging Camp Creek, Burnt Pine, Kelly Plantation and The Raven are all great. Those are just a few. Only course in the Destin area that I was not that impressed with is Bluewater Bay. Way to tight for my game. Best restaurant, in my opinion, for an Anniversary dinner is Bud & Alley's in Seaside. Have fun.

I happen to belong to a course that was built by Elmore Just the founder of Louisville Golf. Elmore passed away a few years ago and now the company is run by his brother Mike. They still make and sell persimmon woods, wood putters too. Anyway Elmore wrote a short book about the history of persimmon woods. Elmore was a fascinating character and I think you might enjoy the book. If you are interested send me a PM and I will see if I can get you a copy. Elmore worked for Hillerich and Bradsby (PowerBilt golf clubs and Louisville Slugger bats) making persimmon woods in the 60's. The company decided to get out of the golf club manufacturing business and that is when Elmore founded Louisville Golf. They picked up many of H&B;'s accounts and made custom woods for private golf courses around the world. I believe they also ended up making all of MacGregor's woods until the market finally dried up in the mid to late 80's.

Sean, what has you so worked up about this? We’re talking about golf hats not running hats. You know the things that cost all of about $20 and golfers go through three or four a year. I’m just a regular guy who happens to play golf and is bald. I came-up with a hat design that performed for me and I thought other bald guys would like it too. They did, so I invested in some inventory. Now I’m trying to let other bald guys who play golf know about the hat and maybe make a few bucks along the way. Simple as that.

Sean, it would seem not all Canadians agree or have hair. Received this email a couple of days ago from one of your fellow countrymen. Steve ...I have a brother and friends who are bald and crazy about golf as I am... Our summers in the Ottawa (Canada's capital) area are extremely humid - hence those awful white sweat marks on our golf hats after a round. Merci beaucoup! Regards, M

Sean, interesting perspective. We’ve been in business for just nine months and already a couple of thousand golfers are wearing this style hat. We have received numerous, positive testimonials to date from all over the world. I guess there are some of us who are looking for performance and comfort over a particular style. Plus it helps to be bald which I believe you are not among the hair challenged (yet). Bald guys and men with receding hairlines love the feel of the material and superior moisture wicking capability. And to bring this back to the point of the original post – by eliminating the metal button the hat’s moisture wicking ability is increased and for some us added comfort by the elimination of a hard touch point on top of the scalp.

Nope, purely for decoration. And to attract some heat.

What is the purpose of that heat seeking metal button on top of your golf hat? Originally in the 1800's the button (actually a rivet) was a way to connect the six panels of fabrics and hide rough edges of stitching on baseball caps. It allowed the manufacturer to quickly finish the cap. A long, long time ago when production methods improved and automated sewing equipment was introduced the need for the metal button was eliminated but the 100+ year-old design specs have never changed. As a result golfers are still wearing heat magnets on top of their heads. Kinda “old school” like wearing 100% cotton shirts don't ya think? Some hat history. Flat caps were almost universally worn in the 19th century by men throughout Britain and Ireland, and versions in finer cloth were also considered to be suitable casual countryside wear for upper-class English men (hence the contemporary alternative name golf cap). It was not until the late 50s and and early 1960's baseball style caps became the norm for golfers here in the US.

That is hilarious NM Golf. A comment about style from someone who dresses like Al Czervik just may be the perfect endorsement. I'll have to contact whoever is in charge of Rodney Dangerfield's image and use him in some ads. Thanks.

I agree with your comments here. The golf courses definitely need to take a leadership role in this effort by creating logical differences in the yardage. I have noticed at many courses the difference in length by hole from one set of tees to another is inconsistent. Sometimes the difference is less than 10 yards and other holes the difference is 40 to 50 yards. We are petitioning our course to create a new set of tees to eliminate these huge variances in hopes of getting more people to move up. At this time moving up a set of tees creates some very short par fours and those holes are preventing many players from accepting the Tee It Forward idea.

Interesting. The low gross winner of our tournament also has 2 cap. He shot 31 for nine holes. Based on the comments I think it is fair to throw out the putting results. I also think mid to high handicappers can learn more about their game playing this format than players with low single digit caps. The most obvious thing we learn is the need for greater consistency. We don't necessarily have to figure out a new swing we just have to learn to concsistently repeat the swing that produces our current good shots. Easy to say hard to do and there-in lies the beauty of golf.

B of H, thank you for starting this thread. Reading thru all of the comments is like getting a few thousand dollars worth of free market research for my hat company - 4HeadWear. Titleist is by far the market leader for golf hats and yes they are "laughing their arses off" especially when they go to the bank with the profit they make from golf hats (I know their costs and what they charge). 4HeadWear is going after just a very small fraction of their market share. We will make a few bucks and our customers will have a much better hat in terms of performance and comfort. They just won't have a logo stitched into the front of the hat or a heat conducting metal button on top. And for us bald guys eliminating those two things from a hat is a very good thing.

I hear ya, and very valid point. I did adjust my score by 2 shots to account for putting. Maybe could have been three. Still believe I'm capable of much better golf based on this event.

Our MGA recently put on a one-man scramble tournament and I believe it is great way to learn your real potential on the golf course. The name of the event is called The Bubba – A One-Man Scramble . You know the deal, you hit a drive out-of-bounds and reload. The next shot is long and straight down the middle. That’s Bubba . He always hits a great shot, always makes that short putt you just missed. You ( and Bubba ) get to hit every shot twice including putts. The event was a 9-hole format. I rarely break 40 for 9 holes. My gross score was 34 in this format. This format demonstrates to me I have the ability. Now I need that elusive thing called consistency. Bubba made two monster putts that I would probably never make. So how low can I go? I now believe shooting 36 for 9-holes 72 for 18 on my course is a very reachable score. 40 guys played in the event with handicaps ranging from 2 to 26. The winning gross score was 31. But get this, of the 40 golfers 60% had a gross score of 36 or better. And only three players had a net score above 36. These results prove we all have the ability to score much lower. I would recommend this event for anyone planning tournaments. As an FYI the 9 holes (shotgun start) took a little over three hours to play. Sounds like a long time but the pace of play was great. In fact, it is much faster than a standard 18-hole scramble and much more fun. Who doesn’t want to shoot par golf on their own ball(s) and learn how low they can go? Go to this link if you would like to see the tournament announcement, rules, and complete format description.

Best fabric I have discovered is actually made from carbon resin found in coconut shells. It is a hard to find shirt but a little bit of searching on the web and you will find some of the big name golf brands use a fabric called Cocona . We make some of our hats from this fabric and it is truly amazing in terms of feel and moisture wicking performance as a shirt or a hat. Couple of neat benefits of this this fabric; it is a renewable resource and offers natural UV protection.

Some great comments here. Based on the response it would seem the PGA and USGA need to get endorsement of the idea not only from golfers but from the course owners, PGA pros, and club managers. To date I have not seen any promotion of the idea from the courses I have played. I will be suggesting to our club owners to create a new set of tees between our blue and white set. Hope they are agreeable. It will cost them a few dollars in tee markers, new scorecards, and whatever it costs to have the USGA come out and rate the new set of tees. Anyone have an idea what the USGA or local PGA chapter charges to rate a course?

You are exactly right about meeting some great people. Not too long ago on a trip to Grand Cypress in Orlando one of the guys in our foursome came down with a bad back so we sent him off to the chiropractor and showed up at the course as a threesome. We were asked to have fourth join us. Turns out the guy worked for Cadillac. He was there to look at the property for a dealer incentive trip. We had a fun round and he was a fun addition to our foursome. But get this, at the end of the round the guy says, "how would you like to play again tomorrow on our tab ($150 per round) and play a scramble against my foursome." His foursome included a lady pro, a trick shot artist, and another Cadillac employee. So the point of the story is never turn down an opportunity to meet someone new on the golf course. I'm sure it does not always work out well but then again sometimes it will be better than expected. Oh, and by the way we had our butt kicked in the scramble and lunch was on us.

He finished 9 shots behind the winner so the decision just became a little easier. The kid can play and should only get better with time. If he wants to stay in school and remain an amateur for another year or two then that is what he should do. Sure he could cash in right now but what is the hurry? The money will be there if he performs on the course whenever he decides to turn pro. Nike got it right with Tiger 14 years ago. They will (or some other brand) will get it right again if the kid is next big deal.

The PGA and USGA are suggesting all of us amateurs move up a tee and shorten the golf course. The benefits according to the PGA/USGA are faster rounds, lower scores and ergo more enjoyment. You can read the entire story here. Here's the question will you support this idea and move up a tee? (This assumes there is a tee on your course you can move up to without playing from the very shortest tee on the course.) I can attest this will lower your score. Our group moved up from 6664 yards to 6215. Broke 80 for the first time in five years. Now that is fun.

We played Sky Valley golf course in Dillard Ga recently and found the end of the rainbow. Beautiful golf course right on the border on GA and NC in the Maggie Valley mountain area. recommend it to anyone looking for a great track in the mountains.