golfingal

We're looking for a smaller (5x12' or so) size putting green of good quality to put outside full time on our patio in FL. It's an all brick paver patio, so not perfectly smooth so the putting surface needs some kind of thick backing (not too thin). It also needs to be able to stand up to heat, humidity, rain and sun. This would be left out full time but it needs to be movable - we don't want to build/construct a permanent one. If possible - The stimp probably should be around 10-11 or so. Our main club is 12+, but the other one we belong to runs around 10 at best. Anyone have suggestions?

MG balls - online only for $20/dozen - Urethane cover with great feel, distance and spin.

Good advice! I was able to try one on and "air swing" a couple of times with lots of room (with the proper size of course). I wouldn't recommend buying any golf outerwear that fits snugly. :-) This particular model also has underarm zippers for more airflow, but could also extend it's range of motion as well. They didn't have the right size pants, and I found more colors online so I found a shop in another city (I'm playing in next week) that has a full selection *and* a sale.

Thanks for the replies everyone! After reviewing recommendations and searching forums and shops I've settled on trying out The North Face Venture rain gear. I actually got my hands on a jacket and it looks perfect. Super light weight, HyVent breathable/vented, 100% waterproof, hood, velcro cuffs, lifetime guarantee and the pants are 1/2 zip for easy on and off. They are $100 jacket and $80 pants, but I've found them for 30% off :-)

I live in Florida where it's miserably humid most of the time and were always getting rain in 90+ degree weather. So I'm looking for a rain suit that's a bit better than the current one I have (basic $25 Frogg Toggs* which is sticky and hard to get on and off) - something that breathes maybe. *The Frogg Toggs are at least 100% waterproof, not nylon that repels but still soaks up moisture and has no Dry Joy at all. Around or under $100 max for the top and bottom would be nice, certainly not going to buy the $400-600 ones out there - I'll probably buy mens just so it's not too small over clothes (and I'm quite tall). I'm not averse to buying separate pants/shorts and jacket. The problem shopping online is, I can't tell for sure but it seems many rain jackets etc. are made for cold weather too. So any hot weather soaking wet golfers please do share! :-)

I've got two rounds in with this and doing a couple more this weekend - my biggest issue is forgetting to tap in and register that I'm hitting a club from a certain spot... And sometimes I'll do it but then second guess if I did or not. Anyway it got so bad I started to put the little drawstring carry bag around my wrist after each shot - to force me to think about it and remove the bag for each shot. Awkward though. It's really easy to leave off putts too. On one hand the distraction is quite, well, distracting. On the other hand it might make one think more about any given shot for just a second longer. I don't find myself mis-clubbing, and I do find that my perceived conceptions about my club distances were pretty spot on with reality. For people with decent accuracy but poor course management skills, seeing where you get around a course from the satellite view can be a revelation. Lastly, I'm thinking about adding a tether string to the unit - mine fell off twice - once knocked off by a club (not swinging), and once from sitting down but I was clipping it on my pocket since I don't wear belts in golf.

Quote: Originally Posted by iacas @golfingal , I asked GAME Golf: Well, no need! I received an unexpected email today saying they have finished mapping the course already! This is just 2 days after requesting it. Quote: "Your course Esplanade Golf & Country Club is now mapped in the GAME GOLF system and is ready for play. Thank you for your patience during the course mapping process. Just make sure to tag every shot, and we’ll do the rest!" Looking forward to trying it out now! :-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Ernest Jones Where do you live? I'm in a more or less rural area 30 mins outside of Montréal and they seem to have all the courses around me mapped including the executive 9-hole which isn't even a rated course. The have a surprisingly large library already and I'd be surprised if none of the courses in your area are mapped. Thanks Ernest - but I didn't say NONE of the courses in our area are mapped. Here's what I DID say - Quote: Can this be used at all, in any way, on a course that is not in their system? There are tons of other courses listed -- just not ours. Esplanade Country Club, Lakewood Ranch, Florida. MIA probably because it's a relatively new course. Erik - I haven't installed the ends yet or registered or anything since I knew it wasn't going to be of much use for the moment. I could try it, but I'm just not sure what I'd be trying since it wouldn't know if I hit left, right, straight or even what par is on any given hole. The first course on my 2015 schedule I'll play that's probably mapped is Innisbrook, Copperhead Course. But that's a tournament and these might not be legal (not sure). Meanwhile maybe we'll be compelled to go elsewhere and play just to try it out. :-)

Thanks I know they say they will add courses on request - I mentioned that in my post - but the question is - does this do anything at all for me right now, WITHOUT a course to find?

Just got this as a gift - Can this be used at all, in any way, on a course that is not in their system - or do you just have to wait and hope for that course (after requesting it on their website) - or only try it out on registered courses?

Apologies for the double post - the system messed up my link in the first post, and when I tried to fix it - it posted again... :-( The iPhone 6 looks AWESOME for golf video! It's an impressive option, albeit expensive of course unless one is in the market for a phone anyway (as I am - I'm finished with Samsung...) More samples here - http://nofilmschool.com/2014/09/240fps-slow-motion-footage-timelapses-from-iPhone-6 http://petapixel.com/2014/09/23/5-of-the-best-iphone-6-240fps-slow-motion-video-examples/

Thanks again, I have done some business with Carls Golfland before and called them yesterday before I saw your post - they ended up with the best pricing so far and I'm probably going with them. 2nd Swing and Golfdiscount.com were pretty good - Discountdans.com don't currently carry Ping unfortunately. The Callaway used store had the driver but it sold out... they are a little higher than market prices for used but a reputable source vs Ebay. Anyway, no sense grinding on it much more - just not wanting to pay list price or MSRP. Thanks again all. Looking forward to gaining about +1 club distance with the new sticks!

Thanks to all for many helpful replies! - Yes, the new green dot is 2.25 degrees upright, so that's close enough to my spec... I actually currently use Ping G2s that are the "old" green dot - 2 degrees upright. I bought those around 2005 when I first started playing, and used the online fitting system - it was really validating to see the pro fitting matched exactly what I did with that original online fitting! Anyway, I do know that some online dealers do discount - even on new custom order sets but it's not advertised online and you have to call. My last set was from Discount Dan's in OR - there's also Rock Bottom, but neither have the Ping. FWIW I found this online - THIS IS THE NEWEST PING CHART WITH MORE, NEW COLOR CODES! Maroon Dot - 4.5 Degrees Upright Silver Dot - 3.75 Degrees Upright White Dot - 3.0 Degrees Upright Green Dot - 2.25 Degrees Upright Yellow Dot - 1.50 Degrees Upright Blue Dot - .75 Degrees Upright Black Dot - Standard Lie Angle Red Dot - .75 Degree Flat Purple Dot - 1.5 Degrees Flat Orange Dot - 2.25 Degrees Flat Brown Dot - 3.0 Degrees Flat Gold Dot - 3.75 Degrees Flat THIS IS THE OLD PING FITTING CHART Maroon Dot - 5 Degrees Upright Silver Dot - 4 Degrees Upright White Dot - 3 Degrees Upright Green Dot - 2 Degrees Upright Blue Dot - 1 Degree Upright Black Dot - Standard Lie Angle Red Dot - 1 Degree Flat Orange Dot - 2 Degrees Flat Brown Dot - 3 Degrees Flat Gold Dot - 4 Degrees Flat

I was just fitted for a new set (also cross tested several brands) and am getting ready to buy Ping G25 irons and driver so I'm now shopping around. Besides the major retailers, online or local - any recommendations for best prices and service online? I need a custom irons setup - 2 degrees upright and an extra 1" in length - so I can't just buy stock stuff either, and totally avoiding the many "fake" looking websites selling clubs - which are probably Chinese knock offs. With really high prices and sales tax on top, local shops can't compete - plus the fitting was a PAID fitting so there is no obligation to buy clubs at full retail from their associated big box golf store. If mentioning online retailers with great deals is not permitted in the open forum, feel free to PM suggestions. Thanks!

Earlier this year I played with a gal in a tournament who was hitting these very low screaming hot chip shots that almost appeared like they were skulled and going way over the green - but ended up skipping twice and stopping like glue next to the hole. She did this from 5-20 yards off the green. She was also about 60 years old - so not some young thing with extreme club head velocity. I've hit tens of thousands of shots and never once had one do that and I'm a low handicap player (3) - and unlike many gals I usually hit down on the ball and trap it. Sure, sometimes I'll get a little spin on wedges, but never this extreme. It's always made me wonder if she was using illegal grooves or something. I'm sure it's a combination of equipment and technique, but this stuff has always eluded me no matter how many shots I hit and no matter what club I try. What up with this? I'd love to be able to add this shot to my bag! :-)

Thanks for the replies - I guess I will resist for now! :-) My main goal would have been to try for more spin, but that may not even happen on a new set anyway with the newer post-2010 regulations. R&A; info on that here - http://www.randa.org/Equipment/Equipment-Search/Informational-Clubs/Groove-Rules-Explained.aspx

At what point does an iron set "wear out" or get so old the tech is too far behind? I've only been playing golf since about 2005 and upgraded myself to steel shafted Ping G2s early on - so they are nearly that old as well. I love these irons for the feel, control and distance accuracy* - they are evenly spaced about 10 yards difference per club - which I can add or shave +/- 5 yards per club. * It doesn't matter how far I hit this-or-that iron if the distance is accurate and reliable. Workability is good - I typically draw the ball but can produce fades on demand as well, though less reliably. My biggest mistake with irons is usually overcooking it. I use the stock set including S wedge which I actually like because it doesn't "dig" so much as others I've tried... The 3 iron has come out of the bag in lieu of a hybrid. I play an average of probably 100+ rounds/year and hit a low handicap of 3 last fall - but back up to 8 this spring so far after relocating to a new area and still adjusting. Now I don't have crazy swing speeds and the ball has never spun backwards on greens for me. It's hard to hold greens around here however - they are like cement - so without backspin it's really hard to hit anything close to front pins without de-lofting, going short and running it up... but that's getting a little O/T. The question remains - should I even bother looking at new irons at this point? I've demo'ed quite a few other brands as well as new Pings - I can hit them all just fine and the tech is so competitive they just all seem to blend in with one another. Back when I bought the Ping G2s - they really stood out to me with better feel. With the steel shafts they are heavier than most irons out there right now - doesn't bother me though. What is to be gained in upgrading? More spin? BACKspin? I guess what I'm wondering the most is - at what point do your grooves "wear out"? A 7+ year old set with 100+ rounds/year + practices = worn out?

I was thinking the same thing. lol I only hit it about 200 with a driver - sometimes more but that is my estimation of the AVERAGE on lush fairways - ( not in the dead of summer on hard pan) . Playing in tournaments in mixed groups - I'm just as long as many guys and in the top 5% of gals my age in the country club circuit. (Young girls being the exception on distance). Depending on fade or draw, harder or finessed - I can go +/- 10 yards with every club in my bag easily. D - 200 3W - 190 5W - 180 1H - 170 7W - 160 *150 can be an easy 7W for all carry, or a hard (or draw) 5i 5i - 140 6i - 130 7i - 120 8i - 110 9i - 100 PW - 90 SW - 60-80 LW - 10-60

I think it's fair to say that everyone needs different amount of practice in different areas at different points in their game - or even on different days. If I had 12 GIR (as per Saeve) - that would be way better than my normal round, for instance. 14 GIR would equal the top producers among PGA pros - http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/info/?190 Today, I had a bad day and only hit 4 or 5 fairways - so currently I need to practice tee shots/driving accuracy and get back in the groove. But the thing is - tomorrow it will be completely different/better even if I don't practice at all because this wasn't my normal round. Still, lots of practice would help improve my consistency in that area - Today I had to hit a low hook to get one ball back in position from in the trees. A shot like that requires a lot of skill and technique that one rarely sees people practicing on the range. And what are the percentages that trying it causes even more trouble? Even specialty shots need practice. On putts - very very very few putts are tap ins unless you are constantly barely missing a first putt from 10-15 feet and never misread speed. An LPGA tour player recently gave a tournament away after missing a 1 footer. Practice 3, 4, 5, 6 footers? Yes. And missing those (for me) is unacceptable. I'll practice 100s of putts in that range in a single session. More than any other length shot. Not just practice - but DRILLS. IMHO - Getting those 3-6 footers down and solid is the single most important key to ever shooting a low score (for me). You can hit a poor drive, miss the green, then a decent recovery - but if you can't close the deal then you're going to be racking up bogeys or worse really quickly.

I'm in the market for a new bag - due to how faded my bag is....everything works perfectly, but it's kind of pathetic looking. I like red - but it fades really badly - probably worse than any other color. So - I'm looking for recommendations on a more sun tough bag - a manufacturer's UV resistant product (if such a thing as a sun proof bag exists). Is there such a thing?

I second the Warbird as a good, cheap ball. Another one I just discovered from getting for free in a tournament - Wilson 50/50 - at about $1 per ball you can't beat them!

GIR is the #1 key to the most scoring opportunities - but if you can't putt then you have a problem throwing away shots! Fairways - Tee shots and/or well executed layups set up the best scenario for GIR - so they are important too. Hitting a fairway, but short and being stressed out trying to reach a green is no fun however. Basically all this is saying if you are 100% Fairways and 100% Greens you'll score better (and will make putts and short game shots less important) - DOH! I'm usually tracking at around 75% Fairways and 50% greens and 32 putts. Keeping those stats and short game stats (sand, short chips, and trends like misses on the short side etc) will help a player see where they are in need of most improvement. In the end - it's every single aspect of my game that COULD be better - but often my game is very good - sometimes. Yes, More often than not - I hit a very good shot, but if I miss shots badly 5% of the time it can cause BIG trouble. Consistency is the thing to practice. It doesn't matter what distance or what club you have in your hand - having full control over it does. :-)

Most everyone knows that if you waggle and knock a ball off a tee before actually swinging, it's no penalty. But what if one of these things happens? 1. Waggle/address in fairway - touch ball before ever making a stroke, it oscillates but doesn't move. (Pretty sure no penalty) 2. Waggle/address in fairway - touch ball before ever making a stroke, it does move. (I think this is no different than causing a ball to move on a putting green at address) 3. Walking near your ball and accidentally bump and move ball with a club. oops Rule 18-2 states - " touches it purposely (except with a club in the act of addressing the ball)" http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Rule-18/ But both scenarios 2 & 3 are accidental - not "purposely". Still - I think BOTH 2 & 3 are penalties, regardless. More interesting - if you read the USGA rule linked above - it says it's 1 stroke. But then - at the bottom that section - it says - *PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE: Match play – Loss of hole; Stroke play – Two strokes. So - what's the deal?

Rory Mcilroy -14 Phil Mickelson -13 Luke Donald - 12