is 120 respectable

Thanks for the suggestions. I know it cannot be #1 because I was standing identical distance away from my hybrid, which I was hitting very well. #2 and #3 are definite possibilities, though. I will try those out for sure.

Back when I was a golf novice (idiot) I bought myself all new woods because the hand-me-downs I had been playing were small, old, and embarrassing amongst my playing partners newer equipment. I went ahead and bought a driver, 3 wood, and 5 hybrid at this time. My thinking was that all golfers carried a driver, 3, and 5, but that 3 and 5 woods were interchangable with 3 and 5 hybrids (dumb). All of these clubs had "Regular" shaft flexes. Fast forward to the present. All new additions to my bag have been "stiff" shaft flexes. The 4 iron is my favorite club, I use it a lot and on all second shots on par 5s. However, I wanted a club I could get a little more distance with and use off the tee in occasion, and the stupid 5 hybrid did not serve this purpose because it was either shorter or equal in distance to my 4 iron. I just got a Cobra DWS Baffler to serve this purpose, and my first few times practicing with it it has been perfect. It is stiff flex. I thought my bag was complete, but that brings me back to my 3 wood. I push this club every single shot. I slow my swing down, smooth my tempo, choke down a bit, but cannot NOT push. It also has a slight fade at the very end, but is always solid contact. So finally my question. Without seeing my swing does it sound like I can't hit the 3 wood because it has a regular shaft flex? Or do I just have issues with the 3 wood in general? I'm confused and really don't feel like buying another new club (can't afford it). O and I should add that I currently can't hit my driver (stiff) to save my life, but every other club is really good.

Ok thanks for the responses guys. Yes, I still do occasionally shoot in the 90s .

I had a question very similar to this. Someone in this forum said something to the effect that they updated their handicap when they got their new clubs. I took this as they basically restarted their handicap. My problem is I started tracking mine when I shot high 90s and played all the time. Now I shoot mid 80s, but I hardly ever play any more. So basically I was wondering if I should reset it to more accurately reflect my scores, or just keep posting scores and very slowly watch it go down.

I agree with you. There was absolutely no reason for that guy to make a comment like that. I think sometimes people just get frustrated by the slow pace of play at courses on weekends now. You said your round only took 4 hours, which to me feels like an eternity. Last weekend I played a round that took 5 hours!! Anyhow like I said the guy should have just made a sincere apology and the whole event would have been over.

This post almost sums up my most shameful moment on the golf course, only mine ended worse. I hit a terrible 7-iron on a Par 3, just one of many terrible shots that day, and frustration had been building. As I started on my "second backswing" the club slips from my hands flying parallel to the ground. This club was flying really, really fast. Who is standing right behind me? No other than dear old DAD, who was hit squarely in the shin. Needless to say, he couldn't finish the round. He had a major bruise that lasted for a long time. We laugh about it now, but at the time I felt horrible. I'll never do that again... well at least the part where the club slips out of my hands.

Distance used to destroy my putts as well. I would either blow them by the hole or leave them halfway short. One thing that I have started doing (I know that I'm not alone here) is when I'm above and beside my ball I take my practice strokes not while looking at the ground but while looking at the hole. I might make 3 or even 4 continuous, pendulum-like strokes all the while I'm trying to gauge exactly how hard I have got to hit the putt to get it to the promised land. Then when you feel like you have your speed, step up and imagine how good the ball is going to sound when it hits the bottom of the cup. I think this would be perfect to improve your touch while trusting your good technique. It has worked wonders for me. I should also mention this isn't a drill, sorry about that.

Shot a 43 today on the front 9 at Valley Green. Walked them in a torrential downpour. Made the playing kind of tough, but it was fun besides the fact that I forgot my umbrella. My driver was good, my putting and chipping were fine, but I was pushing my irons about 10-15 yards right of my intended target. This made scoring tough, but if it weren't for the triple bogey on the the last hole...

Now that this thread has opened up again, I will repost my experience of yesterday's round since I'm still ecstatic. I hadn't been able to accomplish my goal of breaking 90 all summer long. My last 3 rounds had been 90, 91, and 90. Finally yesterday I broke through with an 85 (par 72). I went 43-42 and was very consistent playing bogey golf. The greens were like rocks and I found it amazingly difficult to get my ball to stay on the green. I had at least 5 shots I thought were perfect only to hear a sound like concrete and watch my ball fly off the green. The majority of these were high pitch shots, too. Regardless, my putting was solid and I had about 3 or 4 of my best drives ever. My game is finally coming around. Final stats: 30 putts, 3 fairways hit, 5 GIR, 3 up and downs, and ZERO OBs.... 2 double bogeys, 7 pars

OK, I don't really know what you want to know, but I feel bad when someone doesn't get a response to a good question when at the same time the same questions about slicing or shanks get answered time and time again. My $.02 is that the $60 net is probably best. I don't know what you mean by the fake golf balls, but I have used golf wiffle balls quite a bit. They are helpful but drive me nuts when the slightest wind blows them offline. It also sounds to me like you don't have the space to use this system the best. For me I couldn't justify spending $250 on a practice net when that can get me a lot of rounds of the "real" thing. My question is, can you use the $60 net in the garage in the winter. If so that would be done deal for me, no use in spending $190 more on a potentially more effective net when both can do similar things. O yea and I have no experience with any of these nets so I would go with your gut (and wallet) if I were you.

VICTORRRRRYYYY!!!!! (thanks Drama) Today I finally broke the 90 barrier. I thought about reopening the "Breaking 90" thread, but it seems pretty dormant so I'll post it here. I shot an 85 (par 72). I'm really pumped, but I guess the reason why myself and others can't get enough golf is because, "I coulda went lower". Anyhow no amazing shots worth mentioning, I just putted solidly, stayed around the fairway all day, and hit some greens (always staying really close on misses). Unfortunately the greens were like rocks so a lot of full shots, pitches, and chips that I thought were perfect did not hold the green. I will never complain about an 85 though. Final stats: 30 putts, 3 fairways hit, 5 GIR, 3 up and downs, and ZERO OBs.... 2 double bogeys, 7 pars, everything else bogeys

Shot a 90 today-- Par 71. It's strange that about 2 months ago I would've been thrilled by this score, but after the round I felt disgusted. My last 3 rounds have been 90, 91, 90 at three different courses. This means I still haven't accomplished my goal of breaking 90, and I will likely get only 2 more rounds this summer, with one at a course where there is no chance of a score in the 80s . I had 1 tiple bogey, 6 doubles, and 6 pars. 29 putts saved me and chipping killed me. ZERO fairways and 2 GIR, but was very close many times on both. Two OB shots. Strange round.

Yea, I give used to give advice to my friends now and again. My one friend is really receptive and postive and seems to get better when helped. Two of my other friends just ignore the advice but don't get angry. It's tough sometimes because one of the guys who can't take advice has the worst swing you've ever seen. Mix an Albert Pujols homerun swing with a new golfer's swing and thats what you have. He says, "I don't understand what I'm doing wrong" when the ball doesn't get airborn. I will give him the simplest thing like "try not bending your left arm so much" because he flexes his elbow all the way on his swing. He cannot accomplish this during an 18 hole round. Lastly, I personally love getting advice. I played with two single digit golfers and I soaked up all the tips they gave me. I also watched their habits and feel like I learned a lot. I don't think I will give advice any more, though, seeing as how looking back it doesn't usually work.

OK I am by no means an equipment expert or even close, so take this with a grain of salt. I would say for a 16 handicap, that the Big Berthas may not be for you. They are Callaway's "game improvement" iron, and are designed with a big, heavy, clunky bottom of the club designed to consistently get the ball WAYY up in the air. I have the Big Bertha sand wedge and I really like it, it is my go-to chipping/pitching wedge, but whenever I am in a hard lie I get nervous due to its thick design. Having said that I think that you could still probably use them well, but may not be able to work the ball as well as you want at your level. I think for you the Callaway X-20 irons may be the better option if your looking to stay with Callaway, but they'll probably go past what you're looking to spend. That is why I didn't get them. I ended up with the Cobra FP irons, and I would recommend them. I think the price is very fair on them, and I feel they will grow with my game better then the BB's would.

Sorry this reply took so long Leek, but there are just really big trees on the right of this particular hole. I went with driver because I felt extremely confident with it that day. The drive was crushed (for me), and would've been perfect, if only it had not been hit 15-25 yards offline to the left lol. Anyhow in hindsight I should've hit a low 3-wood, a shot I can consistently keep in play. Also as an update, the next day I ended up with a 91 . This time I'll blame hole #17. It was a 218 yard Par 3. I went for my 4-iron, once again it HAD been the best club in my bag all round. Sure enough I hit a terrible terrible pull hook. Shot ended up behind a massive pine, but suprisingly I could see the green, and all I had to do was hit about a 25 yard pitch/chip to the left of the tree. Sure enough though I clipped the left side of the tree and it goes right into it. A few disasters later and I have a triple bogey 6. Once again, if I bogey this hole I end up with an 89. I kept all of the advice from this thread on my mind again. Unfortunately, I don't think I had the "game" to do it that day. Actually, probably the confidence, seeing as how I missed at least 6/7 putts inside of five feet. The good news is that my course management (besides 17) had never been better. That was my only "tree" shot with no OBs, which is amazing for me. Sorry this was so long, but hopefully I can get there this weekend.

Hey sboardz, I was the same as you. I was never good and earlier in the summer I became the world's worst (literally). Basically I think that CG is right on the money. Try changing a stance or a grip to make yourself more comfortable standing over the ball. What I actually did is changed my putting grip to interlocking, the same as I use with all my other clubs. Now I am two and one putting from everywhere. Most importantly, be confident. I used to putt afraid of hitting the ball too hard, and now I just make sure I have my line and put a really nice stroke on it. I'm always surprised by how many go in and when they go past I can usually make them coming back (even up to a few feet). Hope this helps.

I used to be just like you Sherpat. I would read all these yardages and get a good laugh out of it. That was until two weeks ago, when I got paired with a guy a year older then myself who hit TWO 350+ yard drives. His average for the round was probably at least 290 yards. He ended up shooting 5 over for the round and I was in awe the whole time as he drove the ball a minimum of 50 yards past me. It was sad when on one par 5 it took me 3 shots to make it to his drive (behind the trees off the tee, failed punch shot, and then my next try I reached him). So I guess what I'm trying to say is I will never doubt what anyone says they drive on here ever again. Some are probably lying, maybe even unintentionally, and some are not. Me personally, I voted for 201-260 yards. I am not a long hitter, but some are.

I tried some of the things mentioned in this thread today. I felt like my tempo was better, especially with the driver. As for hitting down on the irons better, I'll call it a work in progress. The irons were not very good at all today, par 3s killed me. When I consciously tried to hit down on the ball I either topped it or hit it fat. I couldn't seem to get it just right. O well I'll keep working on it. More advice is still appreciated. Thanks!

I am also in the breaking 90 club, it's been my goal since 07 started. I have been following this thread and all the great advice religiously, and today I shot a 90. I'm so close. The culprit hole: A long par 4-- #1 handicap. There is no room on the left side of this hole, there are about 5 yards of rough on the left. Sure enough I start my drive down the left side of the fairway with some draw action. Thanks to some wind it ends up WAYYY left and drills a house (houses are right next to the course). I hit my provisional to the right, of course right behind a ton of trees. I punch out for my 4th shot. I get my 5th pin high but off the green. Chip and 2 putt for a nice 8. That killed my score along with a couple triples. I will be playing again tomorrow on a course I know better so tomorrow might be the day.

This really makes sense to me. I never thought of it before, but I guess this would explain (to me anyway) why I have been hitting so many fat shots and dreading hardpan lies. I understand what you are saying about hitting down on the ball rather than lifting it, but my question is can I do this without changing anything mechanically. For example do I have to make my iron swings steeper based on the video to better hit down on the ball. Thanks and I will work on this ASAP.

Reefer, all I will say is that the game is at Autzen this year, and the kicker can't be worse then last year. Go DUCKS!! Mhinderaker-- Thanks for the comment and tip, believe me you are much better then I am so you are good enough to critique my swing (in my book anyhow). About the tempo, I actually thought the same thing. I think it used to be better, before I battled the shanks a while back. Ever since then, I have been a little off, slowly working my irons back to where they once were. This is something I will work on.

I have been working on looking at my swing through video now and then, and I finally got the videos up on youtube. I am a bad golfer so I figure that I have a ton of flaws. I know a decent bit about the swing so I see a few, but I think others on this board who are knowledgable can give me some tips or drills to make me better. This one is from the side: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUORmGz2ix4 This one from behind the ball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmLdVFaJyGM A few notes: 1) I'm 6'2", 200 lbs so I'm a big guy... 18 years old 2) Average drive is probably 250 yards (290 is best ever), 7-iron is 150-155 yards 3) I knew that on the swing from the side I got nowhere near parallel with the club, so from the other angle I made sure I got full shoulder turn/parallel 4) However, on the parallel swing I hit the ball fat and pushed it at least 10 yards to the right of my target 5) I'm in my backyard and would not where those clothes golfing! lol That's it, thanks in advance for any breakdowns or tips. Feel free to tear me apart because I just want to get better.

Shoot according to these pictures and what digger said, I guess I interlock "too far". It seems that I will be changing my grip again here soon .

I have two friends who just started golfing, and both ended up buying a whole set of the Maxfli Powermax clubs. Both have hit the clubs surprisingly well for people who are just starting. They seem forgiving and my one friend in particular (whose swing is horrendous, actually hurts the eyes) who can hit the ball a decent distance even on mishits while still keeping the ball in play. Anyhow this is just my observation, but I do have some Maxfli's myself and I do like them. However, often you get what you pay for, and I feel like I'd really like to upgrade at 3-wood and the hybrids, but money is tight right now so I will keep these. I guess in the end my advice to you would be to go ahead and get the clubs because they're nice especially for a beginner and are easier on your wallet, but might want to upgrade in a year or two as you get better.

That piece of fabric means a lot to a lot of people. Not to mention the millions who have died fighting for those colors. This is a golf forum and I'm not going to get too political, but "just a piece of fabric" and "who cares!"....... ouch I'm always surprised when Americans have this kind of attitude. Sometimes I think Americans in general take "these colors" and "freedom" for granted a little, and your post helps prove this theory.