denver_nuggs_15

So on Monday, I played two matches. On the front, I went up 3 through 4, but lost on the ninth hole. On the back, I went up 2 through 4, and halved the match. Any help on how to close out matches?

Par 5 - 252 to the center, downwind probably 15 yards worth. Hit the green (2-putt for bird).

I just got a new (to me) 3-wood. Basically, I wanted something that was good out of the fairway, rough, and off the tee. On top of this, I looked for a little forgiveness and workability (left-right and right-left). If you just want a 3 wood that is good off the tee - one that acts as a second driver - look for something with a bigger head. Taylor Made and Callaway fit the bill on this one. If you want a good overall 3-wood, something with a little lower profile like PINGs or Clevelands might work out. Just hit a bunch of woods, and see which one you like the most. Major brands are all pretty much equal in quality, so you'll be happy with whatever you get.

I play a 24* 4-iron and a 19* hybrid. I hit the 4-iron 185-190 and the hybrid 210-215 Obviously I have a huge distance gap, and seeing as I'm dropping a wedge, I'll have room to add another hybrid. What loft do you think would fit the distance gap and go about 200? I'm thinking somewhere around 22* would fit the bill. What do you think?

79 (+7). 42/37. 37 (+1) is my best score on 9 ever. I'm pretty excited about that. Back to the round, 7 fairways, 12 GIR (8 on the back), 36 putts, 2 birds, 2 doubles, three 3-putts, and three 1-putts. I left a few shots out there around the greens on some chips, but I'm happy with the way I hit the ball. Handicap's on its way down!

Where do you think the 2010 NBA Free Agents will end up? LeBron James - Cleveland Dwayne Wade - Miama Chris Bosh - Chicago Amar'e Stoudemire - NY or Phoenix (50/50) Carlos Boozer - Miami Joe Johnson - Atlanta Dirk Nowitzki - Dallas Paul Pierce - Boston Ray Allen - Boston Rudy Gay - Memphis (signed the contract just now) I don't really know and/or care where the other free agents go.

Simple question. Yes or no, and why or why not.

How do you know if you don't watch the NBA? All of this stuff with the refs that you mentioned is all because of MJ. I agree that it sucks sometimes because some of the calls are so cheap but it usually evens out within a game.

My buddy shot 34/46 in a tournament. For me, it's 39/46. It's "only" 7 shots, but I guess it's good that my nines are somewhat consistent.

He's actually got 19. You're a 13 and you can't add? Maybe those 86s are actually 88s ;). All jokes aside, I agree with Fourputt that many golfers just throw clubs in their bag without really thinking about it. If you don't use it, you don't need it. However, I think as your handicap decreases, you're more able to take advantage of 14 clubs.

I wear polarized Bolle sunglasses every single day. Literally every single day, dawn until dusk (I have a raccoon tan unfortunately!). I've never experienced any depth perception problems at all. Before I bought my sunglasses, I looked at some research that suggested polarization is bad for golf, but other sources disagree. I'm really not sure who to believe, but in my own personal experience, polarization does not affect depth perception. That's because "polarization" is not synonymous with "UV protection." They're two mutually exclusive terms, and anyone looking to buy a nice pair of sunglasses should know the difference. UV protection (A,B, and C) is essential in a pair of sunglasses IMO. You've only got two eyes, you should probably protect them as best you can. Plus, I see much better in sunglasses. I think sunglasses are a great idea, and you definitely get what you pay for.

Ebay or special orders through your golf shop/pro shop are probably the best ways to get an individual iron.

So you could actually hit your 3W 220 and your 5W 205, right? I'd suggest trying to get more precise yardages at a range, on a monitor, or during a practice round to determine how far they actually go on good hits (not great, but acceptable hits). If you really only do have a 5 yard gap between your 3 and 5 woods, it could be a number of things. I'm not going to repeat what others have said before me, but I remember reading that golfers with slower swing speeds experience yardage dilemmas like you've described. It's most common in longer irons, but the theory is that with a slower swing speed, you're not getting optimal launch from certain lower lofted clubs. (It's the reason why most of us can't hit a 1-iron; we simply can't swing fast enough for the loft). Whatever the reason is for the lack of distance in the 3W, I'd suggest dropping it or the 5W since they cover 2 very similar distances. P.S. - Hit both off the tee to see the yardage difference. It might have something to do with hitting it off the fairway.

79 (+7). 41/38. I hit 7 fairways and 13 greens! By far the best I've hit my irons this year. Distance control was spotty though especially on wedge shots. Had a 40 yard pitch into a par 5 and was thinking potential birdie. I overshot my target by 12 yards. 70 yard shot into a par 4, put it into a bunker 20 yards short of my target. 60 yard shot, overshot by 15 yards. 120 yard par 3, overshot by 10 yards. There were others too. I'm really disappointed that I 3-putted four times, but it happens. I've been practicing a lot, but I'm not comfortable with my alignment or stroke on putts inside of 5 feet. Hit the driver well, and kept everything in play like I should. Of 14 par 4 or 5s, I had a reasonable shot for GIR on 12 of them. That means I'm not OB, under a tree, etc. Played well, and I hope I continue it tomorrow.

Phil might not even be 6' tall. I saw him from about ten feet away, and he was significantly shorter than me. I'm 6'3". I'd say you're wrong. I'd be willing to bet that every PGA Tour player is in "great shape" and that many are pretty cut. And as for Tiger not being able to play basketball, that has nothing to do with his athletic ability.

Of course. It happens to us all. Last year in high school, I shot 39, 42, and 41 in matches leading up to a tournament at my home course. I shot a 96 from the whites (6000 yards), and I usually play the blues (6600) or the tips (7100). I played well leading into it, had an advantage since I knew the course, but just had a terrible day. It happens, and while certain aspects like wedge shots for example may be an issue you should be concerned with, it's probably just a mistake that you shot a 93 and it's a day that everything just went wrong. Practice then play the next chance you can, and good luck! You're not serious, right?

To DFB, I really do hope Harper plays OF. He's definitely got the arm to play RF, but I'm not sure if he's fast enough to be a big league CF. LF would just be a waste for his defensive talent IMO, so RF makes the most sense. And plenty of great hitters have played the outfield. I hope the Nats don't let him play C since it'll just number his days. Obviously, catcher is one of the most important positions in all of baseball, and I'm sure he's good enough defensively to be a top guy behind the plate, but I think most of his worth is in his bat. The only other position I could see him playing is 1st, but for some reason I think the Nats would rather have a pure power hitter there than the prototypical 3-hitter that Harper should be. What's your guess, what position does he get called up to the bigs as? To jamo, I don't really ever see him playing short. He's never played it at a high level from what I've heard, so it would be a large transition. As for 3B, a lot of catchers move there, but remember Zimmerman is signed until 2013 IIRC. I don't think there have been many trade talks involving Ryan Zimmerman, and I doubt the Nats will move their gold glover to another position.

Very sorry for two posts in a row, Erik. Butch's post was made while I was typing my previous response, and I couldn't figure out how to multi-quote his post in an Edit. There are a lot of similarities that I think you're missing. Pitchers push off the inside of their right foot, start their forward/downward motion with their hips, create separation between their hips and shoulders (X-factor IIRC), and transfer their weight to their left foot. In some respects, a golf swing and a pitcher's motion overlap. I'm sure you know a lot about the golf swing, but from reading your post, I don't believe you know enough about a pitcher's motion to fairly compare it to a golf swing. You're just looking at what the pitcher is doing - throwing a ball - and not all of the individual motions and intricacies that go into it - pushing off, rotating, etc. I think if you do a bit of research you'll find that there are mechanics that are applicable to both the golf swing and pitching form.

The thread is titled Strasburg. That kind of sounds like a baseball thread, even though we are discussing certain swing mechanics. To DFB, You're right that Harper won't be in the bigs for a few years. He's one player that I'm actually going to keep track of in the farm leagues, though. He's got so much raw talent, it'll be interesting to see just how good he'll end up being. I've heard about some attitude issues with him, so that may hurt him a little. But, damn he's incredible! Batted over .600 in high school, almost .450 in junior college, mid-90s fastball, stole 3rd from 1st twice, throws guys out at second from his knees, 500 foot homers...and he's still 17! Too bad Scott Boras is his agent.;)

I play it (see sig). I think it's a really nice club. I'd say it's pretty workable from both left to right and right to left, and it's just as long as any driver I've it. However, it's not as forgiving on mishits and a lot of drivers out there right now. P.S. - I don't really know how much you're going the mess with the weights, but it's pretty fun, and it can help your ball flight.

Proper wrist cock and loading (and pushing off) the inside of the right foot more. I was thinking of working on a better lateral hip slide, but I think I have enough on my plate right now. In putting, I'm working on 3-4 footers.

Why would it help you from putting too much left to right? I thought larger grips would help you from putting too much right left (for righties).

This is the answer to your golf question kevin. Your duck hooks are just overcompensations for whatever was causing your slice. (Duck hooks are the opposite of slices in terms of the club path/face angle IIRC). Think of it this way: if you're playing basketball and you miss 3 shots in a row off the front of the rim, obviously the next one you should probably try shooting a little harder. Maybe you miss the hoop completely and shoot over the rim, but eventually you'll get it. Just stick with it, and don't take this game so seriously. If your golf game really affects your entire life, and you're not on Tour, you should probably take a break from the game.

Your analogy is weak. Fitting a golf club (properly) is much different than finding a shoe that fits. If you're suggesting the OP buy a set that is fit to his body type (height, length of arms, etc. - like those charts), that's fine. But there's no sense in doing dynamic fitting that we all know is best. His swing is surely too inconsistent right now and will definitely change with lessons. To the OP, I don't think I would get the irons fit just yet. Maybe get the lie changed if it's free, or a bearable amount, but I don't think a total fitting is necessary for a beginner. Mizuno MX300s are a good set, and you can definitely grow with them. Like others have already said, I would steer clear of the MP series for now since they'll make the game really frustrating for a beginner. Hope this helps.

I think either Jackson or Doc will get a technical before any player. I'm not sure which one, but it's just a gut feeling.