bluecollar01

May not be of any help to you but what I found helped my pitch and chip shots was really committing to the shot. I was decelerating a lot as I made contact which caused chunking, topping or blading the ball. When I commit to my shot I make good contact and the results are much better than when I decelerate. Again, probably not the issue for you but thought I'd share – one hacker to another :)

Thanks for the reply. I was just curious as it seemed that the rule(s) could be applied differently in the same situation, which is disconcerting. I think the variance in "judgement" is what usually causes the debates over these types of infractions. Definitely appreciated the feedback!

Time to play what if – If Tiger had called a rules official over and told the official that the ball oscillated but did not move but he still wanted a ruling. The rules official then says you're good - no penalty. Later this "video evidence" comes to light which indicates it moved vs oscillated. Does Tiger still get the two-stroke penalty? Just curious.

You should silently "crop dust" the box prior to your opponent teeing off. It will definitely distract him when the noxious fumes burn his nose hairs off.

I agree that speed is the key but as I don't practice it enough, it's difficult for me to judge the proper speed on inclined/declined greens from that distance. I try to protect against the three-putt as well. I'm just saying that getting the ball close from that distance is a skill that I think most "average" golfers haven't developed enough.

I wish every putt I attempted was going in the hole. A few of the articles I've read were of the opinion that amateurs three-putt more often than pros because of their lack of putting skill beyond 20 feet. And, that increasing their ability to lag putt from distance would improve their score quicker than other areas. I'm not an expert so I don't know if it's true but I know that when I started hitting more GIR my number of putts went up. And, getting into a 6 foot circle from 60 feet away is tougher than it looks (for someone of my limited ability :).

Not much different than the other answers people have provided but I think course management has to be number one. It's something that has to be considered on every hole prior to your tee shot as well as between every shot. 1. Course Management 2. Off-the-tee (woods/irons) 3. Approach (irons) 4. Wedge/short iron game (pitch/chip/bump-n-run) 5. Lag Putting 6. Putting I also separated putting and lag putting. As your approach shots get better (GIR) your proximity to the hole is likely going to increase. Lag putting IMHO is a different skill or at least one that most bogey golfers aren't very good at but maybe that's just me .

Made up a round from league yesterday. Shot a 43. Had a couple of doubles - one from a duffed tee shot and another from trying to bend (draw) a ball around a corner with my hybrid (it bent alright, right into the woods). Overall, I was very happy with my score though. Cheers! Also, had a great drive on a 347 yard par 4. Hole doglegs slightly right with a fairway that slopes left to right. Ended up about 30 yards off the green. Chipped to about 4 feet and sank my putt for birdie. Woot! Woot!

Anytime I use a an iron from the tee box I hit it off the ground. The only exception is when I use my 3H or 4H, then I'll tee it very slightly off the ground. I don't use a tee with the traditional irons because I seem to make poor contact. Something about the ball being slightly elevated bothers my eyes and I never make clean contact. So, I treat it just like any shot from the fairway. Not sure everyone does this but when I'm hitting an iron shot, I focus my eyes/aim about 2 inches in front of the ball. I think when the ball is tee'd up it keeps drawing my eyes/aim back to the front of the ball and I usually chunk it. I'm weird, yes I know

The young man showed remarkable character in calling the infraction on himself and as others have pointed out, he did so according to the letter of the rule. It was unfortunate and I wish that the "spirit" of the rule could be applied instead as I'm sure the rule was written to keep the integrity of competition true and fair, meaning that no one would gain an unfair advantage. As others have pointed out this would bring subjectivity into the game which could introduce bias. I'm sure the ultimate winner of the match didn't want to win on a technicality either (although, he pretty much had the match in hand). Still, I think in some instances the fairest thing to do is to apply a more liberal judgement. I'm sure my opinion isn't a popular one and I'm positive that it goes against the rules of golf but that's okay with me. Hit 'em long and straight.

I'm going to say that I have moments where everything is "instinctual", meaning that I don't have any swing thoughts or strategic thought. Simply, I've assessed the shot - visualized what I want to happen and step up and swing. In those moments it seems like everything happens automatically, there is no doubt or distractions, only execution. The results are great but those moments only happen a few times per round. More often than not I have a goal in mind that I've visualized and attempt to execute but have a single swing thought in my head (short backswing, follow-thru, 80% swing, etc.). Sometimes the results are good, sometimes not but it doesn't feel "instinctual". I don't think one is better than the other but certainly wish I had more of those great "instinctual" moments. My guess is that the more skill you develop the more of those moments you're likely to have on the course.

I grew up near Beaumont but currently live in Omaha. I had a friend (Clint Martin) that used to (may still) be the head pro over at Bayou Den. I'd call Bayou Den, Babe Zaharias and even the Pea Patch to see if they have any leagues available that meet your criteria. As a high handicapper you may want to start out over at the Pea Patch as it's fairly short, few hazards and pretty wide open. Although, the last time I was in town it looked like it needed some TLC. Hope that helps!

I currently never wear a glove for any shots but when I first started I wore one all the time (putting included). Truthfully, I can't tell a difference in "feel" or my performance. I stopped wearing one because of the amount of sweat trapped inside the glove and the seams on the fingers of the glove became irritating.

^^ Seriously, though it really is an epidemic.